The Live-Action One Piece Adaptation Coming To Netflix Just Added Some Cast Members
The trajectory of anime to live-action has been a complicated one, given that it has churned out more misses than hits over the years. Adapting Eiichiro Oda's "One Piece" is a mammoth task in itself, and the Netflix live-action that is currently in the works has added new cast members.
While the "One Piece" manga and anime are still nowhere near completed, it will be interesting to see how the Netflix live-action will approach its source material and adapt a story that lives up to the expectations of its generation-spanning fanbase.
Becoming the king of the pirates
"One Piece" has a plethora of narrative strands that constitute the iconic manga/anime, but focuses on Monkey D. Luffy, a young man made of rubber, who sets off on a journey to become the King of the Pirates. In this process, Luffy organizes his crew, which includes pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro, thief-cum-navigator Nami, sniper Usopp, and chef Sanji. More characters join them as the crew embarks upon adventures across the sea. The "One Piece" anime has featured 20 seasons (with a 1000-plus episode count) along with 14 animated films so far.
The Netflix adaptation will be helming 10 episodes in the series' first season, having partnered with Tomorrow Studios ("Snowpiercer," "Cowboy Bebop") and "One Piece" publisher Shueisha to bring the iconic story to life.
The live-action has added six new cast members, namely Morgan Davies ("The End," "The Evil Dead: Rise"), Ilia Isorelýs Paulino ("The Sex Lives of College Girls," "Me Time"), Aidan Scott ("Action Point," "Between the Devil"), Jeff Ward ("Brand New Cherry Flavor," "Hack"), McKinley Belcher III ("Ozark," "The Good Lord Bird") and Vincent Regan ("300," "Troy"). The new cast members will be playing Koby, Alvida, Helmeppo, Buggy, Arlong, and Garp respectively.
Netflix
Prior to this, the live-action announced its principal cast list, which includes Iñaki Godoy (who will be assuming the role of Luffy), Mackenyu, Emily Rudd, Jacob Romero Gibson, and Taz Skylar. Steven Maeda ("The X Files," "Lost") will be serving as co-writer, co-showrunner, and executive producer for the Netflix "One Piece" adaptation.
While it is too early to speculate how the Netflix live-action will fare, one can hope that it will approach its source material in a nuanced manner, while avoiding the pitfalls of an uninspired adaptation. Given that the success of the franchise in its entirety has been consistently high, the stakes here are even higher.
An official release date is yet to be announced for the "One Piece" live-action.