Charles Melton is in final talks to play Kakashi Hatake in Lionsgate’s live-action Naruto movie directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.
Charles Melton is in final talks to play Kakashi Hatake in the live-action Naruto movie, marking the first major casting for the long-developing adaptation. The role would place the Emmy-nominated actor at the center of one of the most anticipated manga-to-film projects at Lionsgate, and it signals that the studio is moving into active casting after years of stops and starts.
Kakashi Hatake is one of the most popular characters in Masashi Kishimoto’s series. Within the story, he is the elite ninja who leads and mentors Team 7, the young squad made up of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno. Recognizable by his silver hair, face mask, and covered left eye, he serves as the teacher figure who guides the story’s young heroes through their early training and missions. For a project widely expected to launch a franchise, the mentor role carries weight, since much of the story’s emotional core runs through the bond between Kakashi and his students.
The talks are still ongoing and have not been confirmed as closed. Lionsgate has not issued an official comment, which is standard practice at this stage of negotiations. The global casting search for the three lead roles of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura began last month and remains underway, with Melton set to become the first actor attached to the film. Landing an established name for the mentor part gives the production an anchor while the search for the younger leads continues.
Charles Melton Career and Naruto Casting Details
Melton broke out on the long-running CW series Riverdale, where he played Reggie Mantle from 2017 to 2023. He went on to earn critical acclaim for Todd Haynes’ May December in 2023 and more recently landed an Emmy nomination for his role in the second season of the Netflix series Beef, alongside Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, and Cailee Spaeny. His other recent credits include Alex Garland’s Warfare and Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell, which reached theaters in July. The range across those roles, from teen drama to prestige film to action, has moved him steadily up the list of in-demand actors.
His casting news arrived after weeks of speculation that he would join the X-Men cast, following rumors he was in the frame to play Beast. When that role went unannounced at Disney’s D23 convention, reports pointed to his potential involvement in Naruto instead. According to Variety, Melton holds a second-degree black belt in taekwondo and competed in the Junior Olympics in Seoul, a martial arts background that could serve a physically demanding role like Kakashi. He has also spoken about spending part of his childhood in South Korea and has named several anime series among his influences.
Destin Daniel Cretton Naruto Movie Production Timeline
Destin Daniel Cretton is writing and directing the adaptation for Lionsgate. He comes to the project fresh off the box-office success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which has grossed around $2 billion worldwide, and previously directed the Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. His track record with large-scale action built around character drama lines up with the tone the studio appears to be aiming for.
The film has been in development for a long time. A live-action Naruto was first reported in 2015, when Lionsgate acquired the rights, with Michael Gracey attached to direct at one point. The project stalled for years before regaining momentum when Cretton signed on to write and direct with the approval of series creator Kishimoto. In earlier statements, Kishimoto said he became convinced Cretton was the right director after watching his work and meeting him in Tokyo, praising his focus on grounded, character-driven drama.
Avi Arad, Ari Arad, and Emmy Yu are producing for Arad Productions with Jeremy Latcham, while Cretton produces alongside Jeyun Munford through his company, Hisako. Filming is projected to begin around February 2027, giving the team several months to complete its search for the young leads and lock in the rest of the cast.
The source material remains one of the most widely read manga in the world. Naruto ran from 1999 to 2014 across 72 volumes and has printed more than 250 million copies in over 60 countries. The story follows Naruto Uzumaki, an energetic young ninja who carries the sealed spirit of a nine-tailed fox and dreams of becoming the leader of his village. With a fan base built over more than two decades, the adaptation carries high expectations, and the casting of its first major role offers an early sign of the direction Cretton and Lionsgate are taking.
