Washington DC, Aug. 21 -- Actor Charles Melton is in close talks to play Kakashi Hatake in director Destin Daniel Cretton's upcoming live-action 'Naruto' movie, Variety reported.

The development comes amid speculation that Melton could be announced as part of the 'X-Men' cast at last week's D23 convention. The global casting search for the live-action 'Naruto' movie began last month, with efforts underway to find actors for the roles of Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura.

Based on the popular manga and anime series, 'Naruto' follows adolescent ninja Naruto, who dreams of becoming his community's protector and leader, known as the village ninja.

Variety has reached out to Lionsgate for comment on Melton's potential casting.

Melton was recently ...