Charles Melton in Talks to Play Kakashi in Live-Action Naruto Movie

Charles Melton is in close talks to play Kakashi Hatake in the upcoming live-action Naruto movie, according to Variety.

The film is being directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who recently directed Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The project is based on Masashi Kishimoto’s hugely popular Naruto manga and anime series.

Kakashi is one of the most important characters in Naruto. He is a skilled ninja and serves as the mentor of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. His character is known for his calm personality, powerful abilities and distinctive silver hair and face mask.

Melton’s potential casting comes as the film’s producers continue a global search for the main cast. The search began last month for actors to play the younger versions of Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura.

The actor has built a strong reputation in recent years. Melton earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in Netflix’s Beef Season 2, where he appeared alongside Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan and Cailee Spaeny. He also received widespread praise for his role in Todd Haynes’ 2023 film May December. His other credits include Riverdale, Warfare and Her Private Hell.

Cretton brings significant experience with both independent films and major studio productions. He first gained attention with the 2013 drama Short Term 12, which starred Brie Larson, LaKeith Stanfield, Rami Malek and Kaitlyn Dever. He later directed The Glass Castle and Just Mercy before moving into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

The Naruto movie will be produced by Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Emmy Yu of Arad Productions, along with Jeremy Latcham. Cretton will also produce through his company, Hisako, with Jeyun Munford.

This is not the first attempt to bring Naruto to the big screen. A live-action film was reportedly being developed in 2014, with filmmaker Michael Gracey attached to direct, but that version never reached production.

If Melton officially joins the project, his casting would mark a major step forward for the long-awaited live-action adaptation of one of the world’s most popular anime and manga franchises.