Original“ Naruto” live-action movie writer previews director Destin Daniel Cretton's 'nuanced and special' take

Tasha Huo, who worked on the live-action movie's first script, tells EW she's excited to see the "Shang-Chi" helmer's interpretation of the character.

The live-action Naruto movie is one step closer to completion.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, original writer Tasha Huo reveals that her "script is done" on the anime adaptation's first live-action big-screen outing and that new writer-director Destin Daniel Cretton "is now doing his stuff" with the story as the filmmaker takes over the project before filming.

The mind behind Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Short Term 12 was previously announced as the film's new director (and writer, taking over for Huo) in February, following his success in directing Marvel's Shang-Chi movie to $432 million at the global box office (during the pandemic, no less).

Huo, who also serves as the showrunner for Netflix's upcoming Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft animated series, praises Cretton for his background in producing "his own writing and storytelling" that she feels "is very personal and relatable" to viewers.

"I think that’s such a cool choice because he’s going to be able to capture how nuanced and special Naruto is without getting distracted by the big world that it is, which I think could easily be done by someone who’s not a fan or someone who’s coming in for a cash payday," she says. "This is definitely a movie that comes at it from a love of who Naruto is and that character and his relationships."

Before the Naruto TV series launched in 2002, its story began as a Japanese manga release created by Masashi Kishimoto in 1997.

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“When I heard of Destin’s attachment, it happened to be right after watching a blockbuster action film of his, and I thought he would be the perfect director for Naruto," Kishimoto told EW in a statement when Cretton was announced as the live-action movie's director. “After enjoying his other films and understanding that his forte is in creating solid dramas about people, I became convinced that there is no other director for [Naruto]. In actually meeting Destin, I also found him to be an open-minded director who was willing to embrace my input, and felt strongly that we would be able to cooperate together in the production process."

Naruto's story follows the titular character, an orphan warrior ousted from his community because he harbors a demonic entity in his body. The character became popular with audiences around the world for his notable quirks, from his spiky-haired look to his penchant for eating ramen.

A release date for the live-action Naruto movie has yet to be announced.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.