Charles Melton in Talks to Play Kakashi in Lionsgate's Live-Action 'Naruto' Movie

Emmy-nominated actor Charles Melton is in final negotiations to play Kakashi Hatake, the masked elite ninja and mentor figure at the center of the "Naruto" manga and anime franchise, in Lionsgate's upcoming live-action film adaptation, according to multiple outlets including Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

The film is being directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, whose recent credits include "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," and is based on Masashi Kishimoto's long-running manga series about a young ninja named Naruto Uzumaki who dreams of becoming the leader of his village while carrying the spirit of a nine-tailed demon fox sealed within him. Melton's casting as Kakashi would mark the first confirmed major role announced for the highly anticipated adaptation, with a global casting search still underway to find actors to play the franchise's title character, Naruto, along with fellow Team 7 members Sasuke and Sakura.

According to Variety, the negotiations for Melton to join the project come amid speculation that the actor would instead be announced as part of Marvel Studios' "X-Men" cast during last week's D23 convention. Melton had previously been rumored to be in talks for the role of Beast, also known as Hank McCoy, in that upcoming Marvel project. When Marvel unveiled its "X-Men" cast at D23 without Melton's name attached, some outlets suggested the actor may have turned down the part, a decision that now appears to have opened the door for his move to the "Naruto" adaptation instead.

Kakashi Hatake ranks among the most popular and enduring characters within the "Naruto" franchise. Within the story, he serves as the mentor and squad leader for Team 7, the group of young ninja that includes the series' three central characters. Slash Film described Kakashi's defining traits in detail, noting that his rarely removed mask gives him an air of mystery, though the character's most distinctive feature is arguably his left eye, which contains a red "Sharingan" that grants him the ability to copy and use the techniques of other ninja, earning him the nickname "the Copy Ninja" within the series. According to the same outlet, Kakashi's backstory, while avoiding specific spoilers, plays a crucial role in the broader narrative arc of the franchise's eventual endgame.

Gizmodo's coverage of the casting news characterized Kakashi as Team 7's leader and mentor, describing him as a fan-favorite character with a tragic backstory who outwardly appears indifferent toward his team members despite genuinely caring for them. The outlet noted that getting the character right will be especially important given that the film is expected to serve as something of an origin story, potentially launching a broader franchise built around the "Naruto" property.

Melton's casting also carries particular resonance given his personal background and previously stated affinity for anime and manga. According to Tech Times, Melton is a second-degree Taekwondo black belt who competed in the Junior Olympics in Seoul, and he spent part of his childhood in South Korea. He has described filming the second season of Netflix's "Beef" in South Korea as "coming home," and has publicly named several other major anime franchises, including "Dragon Ball Z," "Demon Slayer" and "Jujutsu Kaisen," among his personal interests.

Tech Times further characterized Melton's casting as evidence of a deliberate creative approach by director Cretton, arguing that the "Naruto" story requires an actor capable of navigating the series' wide emotional range, which shifts between broad comedic moments, such as Naruto's persistent ramen obsession and struggles with basic ninja techniques, and considerably more devastating emotional beats, including Kakashi's own personal losses, the massacre of Sasuke's clan, and Naruto's pervasive sense of loneliness throughout the story. The outlet pointed to Melton's performance in "Beef," which similarly required navigating a wide tonal range, as evidence that Cretton is approaching the project primarily as an emotional storytelling challenge rather than purely as a spectacle-driven blockbuster.

Melton has built a growing reputation in Hollywood over the past several years across a range of projects. He received an Emmy nomination for his role in the second season of Netflix's anthology series "Beef," in which he starred alongside Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan and Cailee Spaeny. He previously earned significant critical acclaim for his performance in Todd Haynes' 2023 film "May December," and is also known for his roles in "Her Private Hell," "Warfare" and the long-running CW series "Riverdale."

According to Tech Times, the negotiations for Melton's role remain ongoing and have not yet been formally finalized, which the outlet characterized as standard practice during the final-negotiations stage of a major casting deal. Lionsgate has not issued an official comment confirming the casting, and Variety indicated it had separately reached out to the studio for comment on the report.

Filming for the "Naruto" adaptation is not expected to begin until February of next year, according to Gizmodo's reporting, leaving additional time for the broader casting search to continue for the film's younger lead roles before production gets underway. The search for actors to portray Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura reportedly began last month, according to Variety, and remains ongoing as the studio and filmmaking team work to finalize the full ensemble alongside Melton's expected role as Kakashi.

Should Melton's casting as Kakashi be finalized, it would mark his entry into what many industry observers view as one of the most significant franchise adaptations currently in development, given "Naruto's" massive global readership and the manga's status as one of the best-selling series in publishing history. With the broader casting search for the film's central young characters still underway and production not expected to begin until early next year, further details regarding the film's full cast, plot specifics and release timeline are expected to emerge in the coming months as Lionsgate and Cretton continue assembling the project.