[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] Japan’s popular anime series “Naruto” has announced auditions, marking the start of full-scale production on a live-action film.

According to the film industry on the 22nd, Hollywood studio Lionsgate has officially announced global casting auditions for the roles of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura—the core characters of the original series. Casting for major characters other than these three protagonists is scheduled to proceed sequentially at a later date.
Destin Daniel Cretton, director of the upcoming “Spider-Man: A Brand-New Day,” will helm the project. Director Cretton officially announced the start of casting via social media, stating, “Masashi Kishimoto’s story has inspired countless fans across generations around the world.”
He went on to share his thoughts on producing the live-action film, saying, “It is a great honor to bring his world and characters to the screen in a live-action film for the first time.”
Referring to “Class 7”—the group comprising Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura in the series—Director Creton added, “I am very excited to launch this global casting call to find Class 7. I look forward to bringing the amazing world of *Naruto* to life on the big screen.”
Masashi Kishimoto, the original creator of *Naruto*, expressed his overwhelming emotions regarding the live-action adaptation, saying, “Miraculous events are happening one after another for me right now. My work, *Naruto*, is becoming a Hollywood movie.”
He continued, “An even greater miracle is that none other than director Destin Daniel Cretton will be helming this film,” adding, “I eagerly anticipate a miraculous encounter with these special and passionate actors, and I can’t wait to see my characters come to life on the big screen.”
While global casting is underway simultaneously in various countries, Sukim Company is handling the local casting in Korea. Sukim Company is a casting agency that has successfully facilitated the participation of Korean actors in international productions such as *Pachinko*, *XO, Kitty*, *K-Pop Demon Hunters*, and *Angry People 2*. For this project, the company will leverage its accumulated experience and expertise to discover new talent that will captivate audiences worldwide.
North American casting for the live-action film will be overseen by Carmen Cuba Casting, which has led the discovery of new talent through projects such as Netflix’s *Stranger Things*.
Information regarding casting inquiries and the application process for this audition can be found on the Sukim Company official website.
"Naruto" is a popular Japanese ninja martial arts manga. The original author, Masashi Kishimoto, serialized the manga from 1999 to 2015.