Destin Daniel Cretton's schedule has suddenly become a lot clearer.
Following the gargantuan opening weekend success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, there was a lot of speculation about what Cretton would direct next.
After all, he was once in line ot direct the next big Avengers movie before controversy surrounding Jonathan Majors forced Marvel Studios to change directions.
Cretton is also attached to a long-awaited Shang-Chi sequel and was developing a second season of Wonder Man, a Disney+ Marvel show that he co-created, executive produced, and directed episodes.
Well, he's obviously no longer attached to the upcoming Avengers film, and Marvel Studios recently axed Wonder Man season 2 despite the superhero drama securing an Emmy nomination.
So what's next for Cretton?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, it's the live-action Naruto movie, a project that Cretton has been busy promoting while on the Brand New Day press tour.
In a report outlining that the "Day" trilogy of Tom Holland Spider-Man films wouldn't follow as quickly as the "Home" trilogy, it was revealed that Cretton would shoot Naruto next.
Lionsgate first announced its Naruto movie back in 2015, with Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) essentially slated to direct.
The project sat stagnant for nearly a decade before Cretton became attached in 2024. A worldwide casting search for Team 7 (Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura) was officially launched in July.
THR reports that the Naruto movie is looking to go into full production in the first-half of 2027 and that Lionsgate is looking to move quickly on the project now that they suddenly find themselves with the hottest director in Tinsletown at the helm.
Despite the casting call looking for 16-year-olds (Team 7 was only 12 in the manga), Cretton confirmed during the Brand New Day press tour that he's not looking to skip the early arcs and jump straight to the Shippuden era.
Said Cretton, "I'm a big fan of it and a big fan of [series creator Masashi] Kishimoto-san. I'll say that we are staying very close to what Kishimoto-san created. I think the biggest mistake we could do is bite off too much for one movie. I think what we're making right now is very exciting."
He also disclosed his personal connection to the source material, growing up as half-Japanese in Hawaii.
Cretton stated. "Naruto's trajectory, his feelings of being an outsider, the feeling of having an ugliness or a monster or some part of you that you’re ashamed of, and then coming to realize that’s the part that makes you unique, that gives you your power. He added he, "always felt very connected" to the manga and that, "When I met Kishimoto-san, the creator, it just amplified that feeling of connection."