Netflix officially announced a live-action adaptation of the popular manga and anime series, One Piece, back in January 2020, but development was put on hold shortly after due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The live-action adaptation will feature all the loved characters from the anime, which includes Nami (Emily Rudd), Usopp (Romaro Gibson), Sanji (Taz Skylar), and, of course, Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy).
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News on the live-action One Piece series had been scarce until last Tuesday, when Netflix Geeked took to Twitter to share pictures of the cast along with an announcement that production has officially begun on the much-anticipated adaptation. Production is still in the beginning stages of filming, so there is no word yet as to when fans can expect to see the adaptation. The streaming platform has also revealed the first episode will be titled “Romance Dawn,” named after two stories written by One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda in junior high that would eventually become the inspiration for the manga and anime series years later. Steven Maeda, who has written for popular shows like The X-Files and CSI: Miami, will act as showrunner, executive producer, and co-writer along with Matt Owens.
This adaptation will not be Netflix’s first venture into the world of anime. A live-action adaptation of the popular anime Bleach appeared on the streaming service back in 2018 and, more recently, a live-action Cowboy Bebop began streaming on the platform. However, not all adaptations are created equal and while the live-action Bleach earned a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, Cowboy Bebop was canceled after only one season. The adaptation of Cowboy Bebop disappointed a lot of the anime’s fans by changing story elements that some thought did not land well.
Details on the story of the live-action One Piece adaptation and what could possibly be changed from the popular anime have not been released by Netflix. Given some viewers’ negative reactions to the prior live-action adaptations of popular anime, the One Piece project could either be another adaptation that misses the mark with the anime’s audience or an interesting new ride for viewers. It is too early and details are far too scarce to make either assumption just yet.
One Piece will be available exclusively on Netflix.
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Source: Netflix Geeked/Twitter
