THR: Lionsgate's Live-Action Naruto Movie Hires Red's Jon & Erich Hoeber for Rewrite

The Hollywood Reporter reported on Friday that Jon and Erich Hoeber (Red, Red 2) are on board to rewrite the script for Lionsgate's live-action Naruto movie.

The Tracking Board Hollywood news website had reported in July 2015 that Lionsgate had closed the rights to adapt the manga into a live-action film, and was in talks with Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) to direct. The Naruto and Boruto stage event at the Jump Festa event confirmed last year that Lionsgate and Gracey are working on the film, and that original creator Masashi Kishimoto is involved with the production. An earlier scriptwriter has not been announced.

The Tracking Board also reported in 2015 that Avi Arad (Hollywood's Ghost in the Shell, Gamba: Gamba to Nakama-tachi) and his son Ari Arad are producing the film at Arad Productions, and Erik Feig, Geoff Shaveitz and Kelly O'Malley are overseeing the film.

Kishimoto launched ninja manga in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1999, and ended the series in November 2014. The manga has spawned the Naruto and Naruto Shippūden television anime series, OVAs, several anime films, spinoff manga, the Boruto sequel manga series, a series of novels, stage plays, and video games.