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Naruto Live-Action Movie Adaptation Finds Writer in Tasha Huo: Report

The Naruto live-action movie has reportedly found its writer. As per Variety, Tasha Huo, best known for Netflix’s The Witcher: Blood Origin and the upcoming Tomb Raider animated show, will serve as the scribe for the Naruto adaptation. Development on the film has been in limbo for years at Lionsgate, and this would mark the first official update since director Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) took on the project in 2015. It seems as though the success of Netflix’s One Piece has caused several abandoned anime to live-action adaptation projects to be revived, as a means to cash in on the Japanese medium’s popularity, while introducing those stories to casual audiences.

Huo was noted by Variety as one of the top screenwriters to be on the lookout for in 2023, having written a script for Marvel’s Red Sonja, a sword-bearing barbarian warrior who leads a group of unlikely allies on a quest to free themselves from enslavement by an evil tyrant. “Adapting iconic characters or IP makes the writing of it easier because the passion for writing it is already there,” she said, claiming that it’s a good means to explore human stories. “I’m so inspired by these characters already that it’s exciting to just take a part of their journey and try to tell that fun story in a way that would appeal to me as a fan.” No other details were revealed, but the fact that it’s still in development is a massive update.

Created by acclaimed mangaka Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto is pretty much a household name in Shonen anime, easily on par with epics like Dragon Ball Z and the aforementioned One Piece — both of which have received live-action Hollywood treatment. 2009’s Dragon Ball: Evolution was a dud, alongside Adam Wingard’s Death Note and the Scarlett Johansson-led Ghost in the Shell, which completely diverted from the core themes and plot. Not to mention, the lead roles were largely played by Caucasian actors instead of Japanese. Clearly, Hollywood doesn’t have a great track record with such adaptations, but Netflix’s One Piece, which already has a second season in development, is a glimmer of hope that it is an achievable standard.

Naruto centres around the titular teenage shinobi Naruto Uzumaki, an orphan who is shunned by the village folk after an age-old catastrophe causes the spirit of a demonic fox to be sealed within him. Aspiring to be the Hokage (village leader), he embarks on a coming-of-age journey, making new friends, barely passing ninja exams, and battling a twisted scientist who can shapeshift into a serpent. The anime adaptation partly owes its popularity in the Western realm to Toonami, an anime so sprawling that it had to be split into two halves — Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden, with the latter being set two-and-a-half years after, as our young shinobi returns from training with his lecherous Sannin mentor Jiraiya.

It’s unclear how the live-action adaptation would condense the first part’s arc into a feature-length film unless Lionsgate already has sequels planned. The One Piece series was based merely on the East Blue Saga, but the character development never felt rushed because it was stretched across 10 episodes.

Currently, there is no release window for the Naruto live-action movie.

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The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Trailer Teases a Young, Scheming Future Dictator

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes finally has a trailer. As part of its CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas, Lionsgate dropped the first footage for The Hunger Games prequel movie, which charts the younger days of Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), long before he becomes the antagonist — the Capitol president — in the original Jennifer Lawrence-led trilogy. Francis Lawrence returns to direct this standalone arc, from a script by Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine) and Michael Lesslie (Assassin’s Creed). Of course, the upcoming film is adapted directly from Suzanne Collins’ 2020 novel.

The trailer for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes us back 64 years before the events of The Hunger Games, during the 10th edition of the annual Hunger Games, as head gamemaker Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis), introduces the creator of the games. “I have summoned you all here for the 10th Annual Reaping Ceremony, in which we choose two children from each District to fight to the death in the Hunger Games,” Dean Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage) says.

As we’re introduced to Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the girl tribute from the impoverished District 12, Highbottom changes the rules, asking Snow and other Capitol youth to mentor the competitors. The 18-year-old Snow has been looking for a chance at redemption since his once-proud lineage fell from grace in a post-war Capitol.

“You really want to take care of me in that arena?”, a desperate Lucy asks. “Start by thinking I can actually win.” The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes trailer then introduces Lucky Flickerman (Jason Schwartzman), the first-ever host of the dangerous games, who is seen counting down to the second the round begins. Meanwhile, Dr. Gaul has a private talk with Snow, describing the manipulative effects of The Hunger Games — the terror of becoming prey could easily turn someone into a predator. “See how quickly civilisation disappears?”, she says, as we’re treated to visuals of the participants trying to stab one another.

“There’s a natural goodness built into us all,” Lucy tells Snow, as the pair venture into the forest. “We can step across that line into evil, or not.” Over the course of the film, Snow will be caught between two forces of nature: the charming Lucy and the villainous Dr. Gaul, eventually shaping his nature for the years to come. Director Lawrence alluded in an earlier interview that Lucy is meant to add a type of balance to the brutal world of Panam, thanks to her melodious singing voice which was shown off during the reaping ceremony, turning heads. Snow believes that pairing up with Lucy is a great idea, as they could unite their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy to better his position.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes trailer also points towards some horrific contraptions Dr. Gaul has in store for the participants, including a tank of rainbow/ oil spill-coloured snakes. Some students at the university, understandably seem distressed about the cruelty of the games. The film also stars Euphoria-fame Hunter Schafer as Coriolanus’s older cousin Tigris Snow, and Burn Gorman (Enola Holmes) as Commander Hoff.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes releases November 17 in theatres worldwide.

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Peter Dinklage Cast in Hunger Games Prequel Movie, the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Peter Dinklage — best known for playing Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones — has been cast as Casca Highbottom, dean of the Academy, in the upcoming prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Produced by Lionsgate, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is an adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ novel of the same name.

Back in 2014, when the four-film Hunger Games franchise wrapped up, it had earned over $3 billion (about Rs. 24,000 crore) globally. Now Lionsgate is looking to extend the lifespan with the adaptation of Collins’ latest entry in the dystopian series.

Dinklage will star in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes opposite Tom Blyth, who plays the young Coriolanus Snow, and Rachel Zegler, as tribute Lucy Gray Baird.

Josh Andrés Rivera, Hunter Schafer, and Jason Schwartzman are also part of the cast, as Snow’s close friend Sejanus Plinth, Snow’s cousin and confidante Tigris Snow, and 10th Hunger Games host Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman, respectively.

Francis Lawrence, who directed three of the four Hunger Games movies, is back in the helmer’s seat with franchise producer Nina Jacobson and her partner Brad Simpson back as producers. Michael Lesslie wrote the latest draft of the screenplay.

The prequel’s logline from Lionsgate reads: “Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird, the girl tribute from impoverished District 12.”

“But after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy, Snow and Lucy’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird and a snake,” it continues.

Dinklage most recently starred in Cyrano for director Joe Wright. His upcoming work includes Brothers opposite Josh Brolin and Brendan Fraser, and She Came to Me opposite Anne Hathaway and Marisa Tomei for writer-director Rebecca Miller.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to hit theatres worldwide on November 17, 2023.

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Hunter Schafer Cast in Hunger Games Prequel Movie, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Euphoria star Hunter Schafer has joined the cast of Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games prequel movie The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

The movie is being adapted from Suzanne Collins’ 2020 book of the same name, which takes place decades before Katniss Everdeen’s — played by Jennifer Lawrence in the movie tetralogy — adventures in The Hunger Games.

Schafer joins Tom Blyth, and West Side Story stars Rachel Zegler and Josh Andrés Rivera in the prequel.

On Tuesday, Nick Benson, Laurel Marsden, Lilly Cooper, Luna Steeples and Hiroki Berrecloth were reportedly added to the cast.

The story of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes revolves around Coriolanus Snow, an ambitious boy who eventually becomes the tyrannical leader of the dystopian country of Panem.

Blyth will play the young Snow, while Zegler is taking on the role of Lucy Gray Baird, the girl tribute from impoverished District 12. Rivera plays Snow’s close friend Sejanus Plinth.

Schafer will play Tigris Snow, Coriolanus’s cousin and confidante, who advises him in everything — from his role as mentor to the core of his moral compass.

The latest draft of the screenplay is by Michael Lesslie, who builds on the work of writers Suzanne Collins and Michael Arndt.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will be produced by Nina Jacobson and her producing partner Brad Simpson, along with Francis Lawrence. Suzanne Collins, Tim Palen, and Jim Miller will serve as executive producers.

Schafer made her acting debut portraying Jules in the HBO critically acclaimed series Euphoria. She is currently working on the film Cuckoo by director Tilman Singer.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to open on November 17, 2023, in cinemas worldwide.

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