The live-action Naruto movie has found its second studio. Sony will co-finance and distribute Lionsgate's film adaptation of the mega-hit manga and anime, according to The Hollywood Reporter via Anime News Network, with production set to begin in spring 2027.

Under the arrangement, Sony will handle international distribution for the project. The deal reportedly came together following a multi-studio bidding process — a sign of how much confidence Hollywood now has in big-budget anime adaptations after years of treating the genre as a risk.

For a project that has spent years in development at Lionsgate, a production start date and a major co-financing partner are the strongest signals yet that the film is actually happening. Sony's involvement also carries some symmetry: through Crunchyroll and its anime distribution business, the studio already has deep roots in the franchise's ecosystem. A spring 2027 shoot would put a theatrical release realistically into 2028 or beyond.