Lionsgate Bringing NARUTO to the Big Screen...Believe It.

 

The studio that has made billions off watching teenagers fight to the death with The Hunger Games is jumping into the anime-fray with the wildly popular manga/anime series Naruto apparently coming to a theater near you, from director Michael Gracey. From Variety:

 Avi Arad and his son Ari Arad are producing through Arad Productions. Erik Feig, Geoff Shaveitz and Kelly O’Malley will oversee for the studio. [...]
 Gracey is a former visual effects specialist who has moved into directing. He’s been attached to several studio projects that are in development — Universal’s adaptation of the New York Times best-seller “Daughter of Smoke and Bone,” his Elton John biopic “Rocketman” with Tom Hardy attached and Fox’s P.T. Barnum biopic “The Greatest Showman on Earth.”

Naruto follows the titular Naruto Uzumaki as he champions to become "Hokage", the highest title a ninja warrior can achieve, in a world divided by different villiages and ninja clans, each with their own special set of powers. The manga features a wide cast of diverse characters.
If done right, the action-adventure fantasy could be a mega hit, and it certainly has the potential to be, the only major setback being the series is deeply rooted in Japanese myths and legends; but who knows.

The series recently just ended it's almost 20 year run.