Following the massive box office splash of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, film reporters and cinema lovers alike were all curious about Destin Daniel Cretton's full dance card and what project he would tackle next.
Not too long ago, he was in line ot direct the next big Avengers movie before controversy surrounding Jonathan Majors forced Marvel Studios to change directions.
He was also juggling a Shang-Chi sequel alongside a second season of Wonder Man.
But with Marvel Studios' 5th Avengers movie officially off his plate and Disney axing Wonder Man season 2 (despite its Emmy nod), what’s actually next for the director?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, it's the live-action Naruto movie, a project that Cretton has been busy promoting while on the Brand New Day press tour.
A new report confirms the next phase of Tom Holland’s Spidey era won't move at the breakneck pace of the "Home" trilogy, leaving Cretton free to tackle Naruto next.
Lionsgate first announced its Naruto movie back in 2015, with Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) essentially slated to direct.
The project sat stagnant for nearly a decade before Cretton became attached in 2024. A worldwide casting search for Team 7 (Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura) was officially launched in July.
THR reports that the Naruto movie is looking to go into full production in the first-half of 2027, partially due to the fact that Lionsgate realizes they’ve got the hottest director in town right now.
Despite the casting call looking for 16-year-olds (Team 7 was only 12 in the manga), Cretton confirmed during the Brand New Day press tour that he's not looking to skip the early arcs and jump straight to the Shippuden era.
Said Cretton, "I'm a big fan of it and a big fan of [series creator Masashi] Kishimoto-san. I'll say that we are staying very close to what Kishimoto-san created. I think the biggest mistake we could do is bite off too much for one movie. I think what we're making right now is very exciting."
He also disclosed his personal connection to the source material, growing up as half-Japanese in Hawaii.
Cretton stated. "Naruto's trajectory, his feelings of being an outsider, the feeling of having an ugliness or a monster or some part of you that you’re ashamed of, and then coming to realize that’s the part that makes you unique, that gives you your power. He added he, "always felt very connected" to the manga and that, "When I met Kishimoto-san, the creator, it just amplified that feeling of connection."