Charles Melton is reportedly in talks to play Kakashi Hatake in Lionsgate’s planned live-action Naruto film, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. If agreed, it would mark the project’s first reported casting of a named actor and a significant step for an adaptation that has spent years in development, although neither the studio nor Melton has formally confirmed the deal.

Kakashi is Team 7’s masked mentor, while worldwide auditions are under way for its younger central characters: Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. Cretton, who directed Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Shang-Chi, is also writing the film; production is reportedly expected to begin in the first half of 2027. Melton has recently been linked to Marvel’s prospective X-Men film as Beast, but that rumour likewise remains unconfirmed.