Netflix's live-action adaptation of the beloved pirate anime One Piece is in development - find out about release dates, cast, and more here.
Netflix's live-action One Piece sails into the horizon, and here's everything we know about it so far including the potential release date, cast, and story it might tell. One Piece is a long-standing anime, adapted from Eiichiro Oda's manga of the same name. The One Piece manga, which started in 1997, is now the best-selling manga of all time and is currently preparing to enter its final saga. Similarly, the One Piece anime began in 1999 and is in excess of 1,000 episodes, which makes a new adaptation a daunting proposition.
The upcoming live-action adaptation of One Piece is part of a larger strategy of Netflix, which has several live-action anime adaptations in development. Previously, Netflix adapted Cowboy Bebop and Bleach, but none of its previous efforts have really hit the mark. Netflix will have to learn from its previous failings to ensure that its live-action One Piece is renewed for several seasons. With so much story to tell, it can be great if handled correctly.
Nonetheless, the popularity of One Piece is undeniable, and if Netflix can appease its longtime audience while introducing Luffy and his crew to new audiences, then the One Piece live-action TV show could be a smash hit. Netflix's One Piece has long been talked about and was first announced by Eiichiro Oda in 2020. The live-action adaptation is now closer than ever, and here's everything we know about Netflix's live-action One Piece.
How Close Netflix's One Piece Will Be To The Original
Netflix's live-action One Piece appears to be closely adapting the first saga of the original, the East Blue saga. From the sneak peek set video of the One Piece pirate ships in South Africa, sets are seen or referenced from the Arlong Park and Baratie arcs. The cast information also confirms that the show will be adapting these arcs, along with the Syrup Village arc where the audience meets Usopp.
Nonetheless, with a different medium, Netflix's One Piece will naturally be different. For starters, the first season will consist of 10 episodes, and those episodes appear to be adapting all of the East Blue saga, which covers 53 episodes of the anime. This could suggest that Netflix's One Piece will be addressing the anime's pacing problem, and it may mean that the episodes are longer than the anime. The cast also indicates that there will be changes to some characters' roles. For example, Shanks will feature in all 10 episodes of One Piece's first season, despite him being a mostly absent and mysterious character for the majority of the anime. This could indicate a greater focus on Luffy's backstory. Furthermore, Garp has also been cast, a character who is only briefly first seen in episode 68 of the One Piece anime.
Live-Action One Piece Cast
Netflix made sure to announce the cast of the Straw Hat crew before any other cast members. Captaining the Going Merry as Monkey D. Luffy is Iñaki Godoy. Joining his crew in Netflix's One Piece cast are Emily Rudd as Nami, Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Taz Skylar as Sanji, and Jacob Gibson as Usopp. Other key cast members are Peter Gadiot as Shanks, and Stevel Marc as Yassop (Usopp's father), who will both appear in all 10 episodes of One Piece's first season. In smaller roles, Netflix has cast McKinley Belcher III as the villainous Fishman Arlong, Jeff Ward as Buggy, Langley Kirkwood as Captain Morgan, Morgan Davies as Koby, Craig Fairbrass as Cheff Zeff, Alexander Maniatis as Klahadore (better known as Kuro in the anime), Celeste Loots as Kaya, Vincent Regan as Garp, Chioma Umeala as Nojiko, and Steven John Ward as Dracule Mihawk.
One Piece Story
One Piece begins with the Romance Dawn arc, where audiences are first introduced to the devil fruit user Luffy, and he acquires the first two members of his crew, Nami and Zoro. Luffy's ambition to follow in the footsteps of Gol D. Roger and become the Pirate King put him into conflict with a variety of enemies, such as Buggy the Clown in the Orange Town arc. Luffy and co. collect two more crewmates, Sanji and Usopp, in the next two arcs, Syrup Village and Baratie - although it appears these arcs will be shortened in the live-action version. Five episodes of the first season of Netflix's One Piece seem to adapt the Arlong Park arc, an early favorite for many in the One Piece fandom since McKinley Belcher III's Arlong is set to feature in five episodes according to IMDb. The first season will likely end with the Loguetown arc, which is the final arc in the East Blue saga in the One Piece anime and manga.
One Piece Release Date
Netflix's One Piece is currently without a release date. However, partly due to the enormity of Oda's world and the time spent recreating the sets, it appears that it will still be a while until it hits Netflix. Filming on season 1 is expected to wrap in July of this year, so depending on how long post-production takes, it may not be hitting Netflix until the summer of 2023.
Next: How Netflix's One Piece Will Need To Be Different From The Anime
