Published Jul 20, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT
Angel Shaw is a Lead Writer and Critic on ScreenRant’s TV team, covering new-release and classic TV shows across all major streaming platforms. She has been a writer with ScreenRant since 2022 and specializes in Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and fantasy.
Angel holds a bachelor’s degree in language interpreting and is passionate about all things culture and communication—especially in how it relates to popular media throughout history (from Shakespeare to Friends to Game of Thrones).
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*Naruto *fans will have a great reason to head to theaters on July 30, 2026. While it was announced years ago that a live-action adaptation of this beloved anime was in the works at Lionsgate, we are still a long way from actually getting to watch it. Still, there has been at least some progress, as Destin Daniel Cretton was confirmed to be directing the live-action Naruto movie. Casting is rumored to be underway, and with any luck, we should finally get the finished product over the next few years. For now, however, we can look to Cretton’s other works.
Cretton is no newbie in the way of directing and screenwriting, but he is best known for 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. This film was a critical success, so it was no surprise that Cretton was announced as the director of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. This is the fourth standalone *Spider-Man *movie starring Tom Holland, and is expected to be a major theatrical event when it officially premieres on July 30, 2026.
Sure, Spider-Man and Naruto are otherwise unrelated. Cretton is sure to bring completely different flavors to both projects. Still, we can learn a lot from watching Brand New Day when it releases in just 10 days. Marvel Comics and shonen anime share a common target audience, and both center on high action and visually exciting tactical combat. The trailer for *Spider-Man: Brand New Day *has already given us a peek at the sort of sequences we can expect from Holland this time around, and it’s easy enough to imagine a similar style translated over to Naruto.
We can also hope for some aesthetic similarities between these two films. While the MCU tends to be pretty gritty, Spider-Man has always warranted brighter colors and higher contrast. It’s precisely the sort of thing that should be represented in an anime adaptation, especially one that features characters as colorful and uniquely styled as Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi, and all the rest. If Cretton brings a similar sort of bright, cartoon-like-but-visually-grounded style, there should be no trouble embracing his *Naruto *movie.
Once Spider-Man: Brand New Day officially hits theaters, we can get a better picture of what sorts of things to expect from the Naruto movie. Additionally, as critic reviews start rolling in, a nice and high Rotten Tomatoes score would be an excellent sign that the future is bright for Cretton and Lionsgate’s live-action film. Of course, we don’t even have to wait that long to conclude that there is a good chance that both Spider-Man: Brand New Day and the Naruto movie will be a success, since Cretton has an excellent track record on Rotten Tomatoes.
Back in 2012, Cretton wrote, directed, and produced a film called I Am Not a Hipster, which claimed a modest 71% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The very next year, the screenwriter and director released Short Term 12, which performed spectacularly with a near-impossible 98% critic score. While his next projects, The Shack (2017) and The Glass Castle (2017), weren’t quite hits with critics, general audiences gave predominantly positive reviews.
Destin Daniel Cretton Movies & Their Rotten Tomatoes Scores
Director, Screenwriter, Producer, Film Editor
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
That brings us to 2019’s Just Mercy and 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which earned 85% and 92% critic scores, respectively (and even better audience scores!). Overall, it’s pretty clear that when Cretton gets his hands on something, it’s bound to do well with either critics or general viewers, if not both. There’s a good chance that Spider-Man: Brand New Day will continue the trend, but could the* *live-action Naruto movie be where Cretton finally falls short?
Live-action anime adaptations come with many obstacles, and historically, things haven’t gone very well in this medium. However, advances in technology and a lot of trial and error have enabled the entertainment industry to produce some pretty great products. Netflix’s live-action One Piece show is easily the best example—a reassuring sign that an anime adaptation can be done respectfully. Between Cretton’s track record and the improving live-action anime landscape, we certainly have reason to hope.
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Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow
Latest Film
Boruto: Naruto the Movie
First TV Show
Latest TV Show
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
First Episode Air Date
Junko Takeuchi, Maile Flanagan, Noriaki Sugiyama, Chie Nakamura, Kazuhiko Inoue, Nana Mizuki, Hideo Ishikawa, Yûko Sanpei
Naruto is a franchise spawned from the manga series penned by Masashi Kishimoto that began in 1999. Generating several tv series, games, movies, and more, Naruto follows the exploits of a young outcast ninja harboring the spirit of a demon fox who seeks to become the Hokage, the leader of his ninja village, to break the stigma against him. Upon the conclusion of the initial series, Naruto expanded into Boruto, following many series protagonists’ children and returning faces.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day ](/db/movie/spider-man-brand-new-day/)
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Spider-Man / Peter Parker
Four years after No Way Home, Peter Parker lives alone, forgotten by everyone he loves, and devotes himself entirely to being Spider-Man. As crime escalates, he experiences a dangerous physical change that threatens his survival. At the same time, a mysterious surge in criminal activity introduces a powerful new enemy.