Series creator Masashi Kishimoto, who was reported to be involved in the film's production met Cretton when he visited Tokyo and even got Kishimoto's blessing. In a statement, Kishimoto said, "When I heard of Destin's attachment, it happened to be right after watching a blockbuster action film of his, and I thought he would be the perfect director for Naruto."
He continued, "After enjoying his other films and understanding that his forte is in creating solid dramas about people, I became convinced that there is no other director for Naturo. In actually meeting Destin, I also found him to be an open-minded director who was willing to embrace my input, and felt strongly that we would be able to cooperate together in the production process."
The manga's film adaptation has been in the works with Lionsgate (The Hunger Games franchise) since late 2015 with it being officially unveiled to the public during the Jump Festa 2016 event.