Naruto Movie: Charles Melton in Talks to Play Kakashi

Actor Charles Melton is in final negotiations to play the masked ninja Kakashi Hatake in the live-action Naruto movie. Casting an actor to play a character who famously spends his entire career hiding his face behind a piece of fabric is a bold creative choice, akin to hiring a voice actor and asking them to whisper.

The negotiations, reported by industry sources, place Melton at the center of one of anime's most scrutinized live-action transitions. While fans of the original work are accustomed to seeing Kakashi read romance novels in the middle of a battlefield, Hollywood's take will have to translate that specific energy to the big screen.

The details

• Role: Kakashi Hatake
• Cast status: Charles Melton (in final negotiations)
• Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Who is on board?

The adaptation is being directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who is currently keeping his schedule remarkably full. Aside from steering the live-action ninja world, Cretton is also attached to direct the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Managing two massive, beloved intellectual properties at the same time is a bit like juggling live grenades, but Cretton appears comfortable with the high stakes.

The casting of Melton follows a growing trend of major studios tapping rising dramatic talent for iconic franchise roles, not unlike when the live-action Legend of Zelda movie cast Uli Latukefu as Ganondorf. For Melton, the challenge will be delivering a performance where a single visible eye does most of the heavy lifting.

Why it matters

Adapting a beloved anime into a live-action Hollywood film has historically been a tightrope walk over a very loud canyon of fan opinions. Landing the right creative team and securing actors willing to commit to the distinct quirks of the source material is the first major hurdle. If the negotiations close successfully, Melton's Kakashi will become the anchor for a project that has the entire anime community watching, with or without a Sharingan.