Washington DC [US], August 21 (ANI): Actor Charles Melton is in close talks to play Kakashi Hatake in director Destin Daniel Cretton's upcoming live-action 'Naruto' movie, Variety reported.
The development comes amid speculation that Melton could be announced as part of the 'X-Men' cast at last week's D23 convention. The global casting search for the live-action 'Naruto' movie began last month, with efforts underway to find actors for the roles of Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura.
Based on the popular manga and anime series, 'Naruto' follows adolescent ninja Naruto, who dreams of becoming his community's protector and leader, known as the village ninja.
Variety has reached out to Lionsgate for comment on Melton's potential casting.
Melton was recently nominated for an Emmy for his role in Netflix's 'Beef' Season 2, alongside Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan and Cailee Spaeny. He also received critical acclaim for his performance in Todd Haynes' 2023 film 'May December'.
The actor is also known for his roles in 'Her Private Hell', 'Warfare' and the television series 'Riverdale'.
Cretton is coming off the box-office success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which has grossed more than USD 800 million domestically, becoming the fastest film to reach the milestone, Variety reported.
The filmmaker began his career in independent cinema with Short Term 12, released in 2013 and starring Brie Larson, LaKeith Stanfield, Rami Malek and Kaitlyn Dever. He later directed The Glass Castle and Just Mercy before moving into big-budget studio films with Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, released in 2021.
Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Emmy Yu will produce 'Naruto' for Arad Productions alongside Jeremy Latcham. Cretton will also produce through his company Hisako with Jeyun Munford, Variety reported. (ANI)
Charles Melton in talks to play Kakashi in live-action 'Naruto' movie
