Charles Melton is in final negotiations to play Kakashi Hatake in Lionsgate's live-action Naruto, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Destin Daniel Cretton directs. Filming is projected to start in February 2027.
Kakashi Hatake is Team 7's masked mentor. A prodigy with a tragic backstory, he guards his distance but, invariably, shows up. He is the character most associated with Naruto's emotional register. Deadpan on the surface, quietly devoted beneath it. For a live-action adaptation, the casting of Kakashi matters as much as the lead.
Melton brings a credible physical baseline. He holds a second-degree black belt in taekwondo and competed at the Seoul Junior Olympics. He is also a longtime enthusiast of Japanese animation and graphic novels, facts that reportedly factored into Cretton's interest. The director, who produces through his banner Hisako, is understood to have personal attachment to the Naruto material.
The actor's recent work strengthens the case. Melton received a Golden Globe nomination for May December in 2023 and an Emmy nomination for season two of Beef. The role of Naruto Uzumaki has not yet been cast.
Producers include Avi Arad, Ari Arad, Emmy Yu of Arad Productions, Jeremy Latcham, and Jeyun Munford. Lionsgate launched a worldwide search for the three young members of Team 7 in July 2026. That search continues.
