Hollywood shows no intention of letting go of the anime industry, and this time it’s targeting one of the untouchable giants. Production company Lionsgate officially confirmed that the ambitious live-action adaptation of Naruto has fully entered its pre-production phase. To show the project is serious, the studio has opened a massive global casting call with one difficult goal: finding actors to portray Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno, the legendary founding members of Team 7.

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who feels honored to bring these iconic characters to the big screen for the first time, the film aims to capture the essence of the source material. The reaction from Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of the original manga, was surprising. Instead of skepticism about Hollywood’s track record with such works, Kishimoto admitted that seeing his creation make this monumental leap to Hollywood feels like a series of miracles, and he’s eager to meet the actors who will embody his characters.

Since its serialization began in 1999, this franchise has become a media phenomenon with millions of extremely protective fans worldwide. Opening worldwide auditions shows that Lionsgate knows it can’t afford to get the main trio wrong. While casting for the rest of the diverse ninja cast will be revealed gradually over the coming months, the pressure is now on finding actors who can capture the source material’s essence without looking ridiculous.

Given Hollywood’s unstable history with adapting Japanese works, do you think the casting team can find three actors capable of capturing Team 7’s chemistry without it resembling a low-budget cosplay?