Charles Melton, the Riverdale and May December actor currently earning Emmy attention for Netflix's Beef, is reportedly in talks to join the live-action Naruto film, marking what would be his first confirmed casting in the project. The role would see him take on Kakashi Hatake, the mentor figure to the story's young ninja protagonists, in an adaptation directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, fresh off the success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The news matters as it signals the Naruto film is beginning to move from development into concrete casting, with Melton potentially becoming the anchor around which the rest of the ensemble is built.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, no deal has yet been finalised, and the film is still searching for a young lead actor to play Naruto Uzumaki himself. The project adapts Masashi Kishimoto's manga, first published in 1999 and running until 2014, and will be released by Lionsgate. Earlier rumours had linked Melton to an MCU X-Men film, but those reportedly did not pan out.