Netflix’s One Piece live-action series reveals incredible sneak peek and new casting
Viz Media/Shueisha/NetflixGet ready to sail the four seas! The Netflix One Piece live-action adaptation is coming closer to completion.
Ever since Netflix announced a One Piece live-action adaptation in 2020, fans have been waiting excitedly for years to hear any more news about the show.
The show would be based on the manga of the same name, which is the highest-selling manga of all time, written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It would also be based on the anime adaptation produced by Toei Animation, which premiered in 1999 and is still going strong 1,000 episodes later, with an anime film, One Piece Film: Red, coming out this year.
The series focuses on Monkey D. Luffy, a teenage boy who gains a rubber body after eating Devil Fruit. The story follows him while, inspired by childhood idol the Red-Haired Shanks, he sails across the sea to find the One Piece and become King of the Pirates.
NetflixFor the live-action adaptation, Steven Madea and Matt Owens, of X-Files and Agents of Shield fame respectively, have been made showrunners. Original series creator Eiichiro Oda has been heavily involved in the production as well.
While other cast and crew plans had been revealed, past global restrictions caused the show’s production to be halted until February 2022.
This, along with the series being produced by Tomorrow Studios, the company behind Netflix’s canceled Cowboy Bebop adaptation, saw fans becoming a little concerned over how the One Piece adaptation would fare.
However, during Netflix’s announcement-filled Geeked Week, a behind-the-scenes sneak peek video was released, as was a further casting announcement. It may seem like fans have little to worry about.
What’s in Netflix’s One Piece sneak peek video?
The two-minute video may be short, but it packs a punch. The clip is introduced by showrunners Madea and Owens, alongside actor Iñaki Godoy, who plays – and matches the energy of – Luffy. Then viewers are shown a reel of beautiful concept art, before the camera takes the viewer through the majestically intricate sets of the show.
One Piece takes place mainly on the extravagant boats that sail the world’s four seas, and from the looks of the video, no detail was spared in the recreation of these settings.
Apparently it takes weeks to build each boat, and it clearly shows. We see the beautiful exterior of the Miss Love Duck and the Going Merry, along with the fish-mouth bar inside the Baratie.
NetflixThe Baratie, which is from One Piece’s East Blue story arc and and is described in the video as a “massive” location, is also treated to a timelapse that shows it being built piece-by-piece, along with its surrounding floating docks.
The majority of the set production and filming is taking place at the Cape Town Film Studios in South Africa, which has plenty of space for the pirate ships, of which there are three so far.
NetflixThe sets bring to life the colorful and wacky world of the anime, and according to showrunner Madea: “I’m most excited to just be able to share this world with old fans, and new. It’s a really special experience and a privilege.”
Who has been cast in Netflix’s live-action One Piece?
Another big reveal at Netflix’s Geeked Week was the reveal of six new cast members, which includes Alexander Maniatis as Klahadore, Steven Ward as Mihawk, Craig Fairbrass as Chef Zeff, Langley Kirkwood as Captain Morgan, Celeste Loots as Kaya, and Chioma Umeala as Nojiko.
NetflixThese cast members will be joining the already established cast, which incudes Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, and many more.
When and where can I watch the live-action One Piece?
As the series only began production in February, Netflix sadly hasn’t given an official release date, so it likely won’t appear until next year at least.
But as Netflix is producing the series, fans will likely be able to view the adaptation on the streaming service.