Artwork credited to Liger-Izunami at Deviantart

Naruto is to be a live action movie via Lionsgate? That is the latest news circulating on the internet about the iconic series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto, but this is far from a done deal. Lionsgate has secured the rights of the Naruto series, and has appointed Michael Gracey to be the director of the adaptation with Avi Arad (The Amazing Spider-man) as a producer.[1] Avi Arad, a reported fan of the Naruto series, is already producing another popular anime series, Ghost in the Shell, according to IMDb.

Now, Naruto fans don’t get too excited (or, like me, slightly apprehensive). I have seen news like this before. An American live action adaptation of Death Note has been in the works for awhile now, and is now on its third director.[2] It also looks like Warner Brothers has bought the rights to Bleach, but, according to IMDb, it has been in pre-production since 2010.[3] So it is possible that this may take years until we see anything come to fruition.

I personally think that a movie is not a good fit for Naruto, unless they plan on making it a movie franchise like Harry Potter, but even then, I still think it’s not a good fit. I think a well done live action television show (Game of Thrones, Walking Dead) is a much better option. Yes, I am well aware that Naruto is already serialized in the form of an anime, but that format worked extraordinarily well.

Here are the reasons I think a television show is a better option over a movie (or movie franchise):

1.) Plot line, character development, scope of world

With 220 episodes in the Naruto anime series, 400 plus episodes in Naruto Shippuden, seventy-two manga volumes, and eleven animated movies,  it is safe to say that the scale of this series is epic. Containment of all the major plot points, and story arcs, of which many of them are interconnected, would become a major issue. What story arcs do the screenwriters focus on? Who do they focus on? Naruto is the obvious choice for a focal point, but Sasuke’s story is equally important, and it diverges from Naruto’s. These diverging story lines could very easily be handled and maintained in a television show, along with all the other characters and interconnected story arcs.

A movie would have to cut out or change too much of the Naruto we know and love to fit even one story arc in. It also has to neatly wrap up the primary and secondary story arcs and character arcs in one go. Hollywood would be shooting to make a blockbuster in order to make back the money they invested in making the movie. Most blockbusters are dependent on flashy fight scenes and a lot of action. While Naruto has some amazing fight scenes in it, it is the characters and their stories that pull fans in and has made it as popular as it is. In order to fully develop said characters, a television show would work just nicely. Elaborate fight sequences would not be completely cut out in a television show as we have seen with Game of Thrones.

As for characters, and character development, a movie leaves little time to build the characters fans have grown to love. Which characters would have their stories cut or changed to fit into a two hour time slot? I know they will more than likely focus on Naruto and Sasuke as they should, but I don’t want someone like Gaara or Neji getting their story diminished or cut either. And what about the Akatsuki?

A live action television show has more of an opportunity to tell the entire story, and can even expand on parts that are only hinted at in the series. Like what was Akatsuki doing when team seven was first formed? And what was Orochimaru doing? How was life for Gaara in the months leading up to the Chunin exams, and what was his relationship like with his father? They could get into the different team dynamics, and explore the Hyuga family dynamic in more depth. These are all things the screenwriters could explore to make a television series different from both the anime and the manga.

Now I am aware that the Naruto franchise already has animated movies, but those movies don’t focus on the main story line, and are more like side stories of the series. Since there are already animated movies of this sort, a live action equivalent would not go over so well with the fans. I think fans would be disappointed if it was another side story told in the world of Naruto versus a story that focuses on the main story line.

2.) The Fans

Being the third most popular series in the history of manga (only being beaten out by One Piece and Dragonball), the fan base of Naruto is vast and international. The expectations for a live action adaptation will be higher, and the fans will be harder to please. This leaves the screenwriters a fine line they have to walk along when creating an adaptation that will appease the fans, and bring in new fans along the way. Since Naruto is already an animated series, I can see why the next logical step would be to make it into a live action movie or movie franchise, but, again, I strongly feel that that is not the way to go.

I bring up the Naruto fandom because it will play a critical role in the success or failure of any adaptation. I think a television show would be able to fulfill more of the fan’s expectations, and stay closer to the source material. Since there is a higher chance in a movie of more things being cut or changed, there is also a higher chance that the fans will not be happy with the live action adaptation.

Simply put, if the majority of the fandom is not pleased with the direction the adaptation is going, they could easily blast the adaptation to pieces through social media, and other means. Anything that is made of a series with a large fandom has that weight to carry, and is almost dependent on the fans supporting the movie or television show. Now, to be fair, it can’t rely solely on the fans. The adaptation would have to be able to reach the masses, and make new fans of the series, but having the support of the fandom will exponentially increase the chance of a successful adaptation.

Game of Thrones is a fine example of how a fandom can work in favor of a series made from a popular book series.  I will admit I was one of those Game of Thrones fans (Or A Song of Ice and Fire fans) who stalked the IMDb page of the show to see who it was they were casting for the characters I loved the most, as the Naruto fans will do. At the time, there were a lot of naysayers, but I remember thinking that they really did an excellent job in casting for the show. Most, if not all, of the actors and actresses were spot on. This was a good indicator to me that the show was also going to be a respectful adaptation of the series I loved so much. Fans will watch every single new development in the months to come about this live action adaptation of Naruto, which can be either good or bad for the project.

Dragonball Evolution is a good example of how the fans can work against a movie adaptation. Just prior to the movie’s release, fans blasted the movie before it was even out based off of leaked trailers and set shots. [4] This gave the movie an uphill battle it had to face before it was even out yet. Another prime example where an angry fandom worked against a movie was the Avatar the Last Airbender live action movie adaptation.  Many of the fans didn’t like the casting choices, which immediately gave the movie a bad start. The movie went on to win the award for Worst Picture from the Razzies according to IMDb.  Dragonball Evolution and Avatar the Last Airbender have become cautionary tales for anime fans.

So far, Hollywood has not done anime series adaptations any justice. The fans are acutely aware of that, and something as popular as Naruto will have even more scrutiny around the adaptation. Simply put, without the fans approval, the adaptation has no real hope of getting off the ground, and being a commercial success.

Now, this is not to say that a good adaptation is impossible. If Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, and even the Harry Potter movies are any indicators, there is a possibility of a good adaptation. For instance, The Walking Dead show diverges very quickly from the comic book series it was based on, but it kept the heart of the story the same, and most fans of the comic books still love the show.

In conclusion, I would love to see a good live action Naruto adaptation, even if it may take a few years to develop. The dramatic element is there. The incredible character arcs are there. Lionsgate is a reputable movie studio, Michael Gracey has a lot of experience in the industry even if it is not as a director, and Avi Arad is a well known producer. Though I don’t like the idea of it being a movie, I would still like to see a good live action version of it. So until more information is available, I will be cautiously optimistic.

[1]  Naruto IMDb page
[2] Death Note IMDb page
[3] Bleach IMDb page
[4] Dragonball Evolution review by Zac Bertschy Anime News Network