Sorry, everyone’s favorite One Piece fan-casting isn’t happening in Season 2

Netflix’s One Piece is coming back for Season 2, but sadly one Hollywood star won’t be in the cast, despite a lot of hope and desire for them to join.

One Piece surprised everyone when the Netflix live-action version ended up being great. Anticipation for another season of the TV show has been high since viewers binged the first back in August 2023.

Fans have been hoping that Jamie Lee Curtis, of Halloween and Freaky Friday fame, would join the project, since the actor had personally expressed interest. Unfortunately, she’s not on-board yet, despite efforts from both sides.

“She loves the show. She has too many films and TV shows that she’s going into production on so our production dates aren’t going to work,” Becky Clements, President of production company Tomorrow Studios, tells Deadline. “She definitely wanted to do it but she’s got deals in first position, and it just became complicated.”

This isn’t surprising, given the trajectory of Curtis’s career of late. Besides the recent Halloween trilogy, she has Borderlands about to come out, Freaky Friday 2 and more new movies on the way.

One Piece would be a large commitment, since ideally they’ll want someone who can be a recurring presence, something Curtis might not always be able to do. She was up for Dr Kureha, a rock’n’roll doctor who helps the Straw Hats during the Drum Island Arc.

Curtis campaigned for the role herself after noticing buzz from fans for her to play the character. She said she’d “lobby” for the part in an Instagram post from September 2023.

If she does appear in One Piece, it won’t be as Dr Kureha. Clements adds they have someone “amazing” lined up.

Whoever it is, they have some job overcoming the Curtis version viewers have in their head. We’ll keep you informed. If you want to know what else is happening with Luffy and the Straw Hats, check out our guide to One Piece Chapter 1121.