One Piece Live-Action Series

Shooting is set to begin soon in Cape Town, South Africa on Netflix's live-action series based on the hit manga and anime One Piece, about a young man named Monkey D. Luffy, who aspires to be the "greatest pirate in the world".



Cast:
Inaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy
Emily Rudd as Nami
Taz Skylar as Sanji
Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp
Mackenyu (the son of the late Sonny Chiba) as Roronoa Zoro
Stevel Marc as Yassop
Sven Ruygrok as Cabaji
Peter Gadiot as Shanks
Craig Fairbrass as Chef Zeff
Langley Kirkwood as Captain Morgan
Celeste Loots as Kaya
Alexander Maniatis as Klahadore
Steven John Ward as Dracule Mihawk
Chiosa Umeola as Nojiko
Morgan Davies as Coby
Vincent Regan as Garp
Aidan Scott as Helmeppo

Steven Maeda and Matt Owens are the series' showrunners. The series' five main cast members were approved by manga creator Eiichiro Oda, who gifted them with custom made T-shirts with illustrations of their characters.

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Not a fan of One Piece, but those sets are massive and impressive. Hopefully it doesn't turn into this weird hybrid of real and caricature the way Cowboy Bebop did. I'm kind of of the mind that live action of such source material really needs go all in Popeye style and be one or the other. I'm curious where this one goes.

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It has broken the curse! It is the best Hollywood adaptation of a manga or anime. I saw the full 8-episode series. Casting was perfect and the reason why the series worked is because manga creator Eiichiro Oda himself was involved and gave final say on what was shot. There were times, according to some of the episode directors, that he didn't like so they were reshot.

*Producers who want to adapt a manga and anime take note...get the creator's involvement. Perfect case: Michael Gracey was hired by Lionsgate to do a live-action "Naruto" movie but he made it clear he will not make the film unless creator Masashi Kishomoto is involved.

It also broke a Netflix record of being the #1 show in 94 countries, a record previously broken with 93 by both "Wednesday" and "Stranger Things" Season 4.

Two weeks after the premiere, Oda made the announcement that season 2 is already greenlit and new characters coming for this one will include Smoker (a Marine commander with the ability to turn into a dangerous smokescreen), Tony Tony Chopper (a reindeer creature who joins the Straw Hat Pirates) and Nico Robin (a former rival who soon joins the crew as well). Dr. Kureha, Chopper's mentor, is also going to be in the season and the showrunners already have someone in mind for that role and she is planning to meet with the showrunners once the actors strike is over...and her name is Jamie Lee Curtis! Curtis is a big One Piece fan and her daughter has inspired her to announce she wants the role!

Season 2's villains, the Baroque Works crime syndicate, has been cast:

David Dastmalchian will play No. 3
Camrus Johnson will play No. 5
Daniel Lasker as No. 9
Jazzara Jaslyn as Miss Valentine

More are joining Season 2 of One Piece

Callum Kerr will play Smoker, who was teased in the season 1 finale
Julia Rehwald will play Tashigi
Rob Colletti will play Wapol
Ty Keogh will play Dalton
Clive Russell will play Crocus
Werner Coetser will play Dorry
Brendan Murray will play Brogy

Production is underway in South Africa and will run through January.