Netflix has announced who will be playing the main characters in their upcoming live-action adaptation of One Piece. Iñaki Godoy of Who Killed Sara? fame will be playing the main protagonist Monkey D. Luffy. Playing Nami, Ussop, Sangi, and Roronoa Zoro respectively are Emily Rudd (Fear Street), Jacob Romero Gibson (All Rise), Taz Skylar (Boiling Point), and Mackenyu.The 10- episode series comes courtesy of One Piece’s publisher Shueisha and Tomorrow Studios. Tomorrow studios is also notably behind Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop adaptation. One piece is the story of the above-mentioned characters as they sail around the sea in search of the ultimate treasure “One Piece”. Steven Maeda of Lost and The X-Files fame is on as the series’s writer, executive producer and showrunner. Matt Owens, best known for his work on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Luke Cage is also on as a writer and executive producer. Becky Clements and Marty Adelstein are executives producing this project alongside series creator Eiichiro Oda. Regarding the casting choices Eiichiro Oda was quoted as saying:
“We’ve been working with Netflix and Tomorrow Studios on the massive project that is the Hollywood live action series adaptation of ONE PIECE! How many years has it been since it was announced, right? I know, I know! But rest assured we’ve been making steady progress all along! It’s not easy when you’re working with people from different cultures! But it’s precisely that process that can yield something special! For now, we’re able to announce the main cast! Rather, we need to hurry and announce it or else it’ll be leaked, apparently! Hilarious, lol. Their face, the size of their mouths and hands, their aura, the way they carry themselves, their voice, their acting skills, their height, the balance amongst the Straw Hat Crew, etc…! We decided on this cast after numerous discussions involving people around the world! These are the people who will be our Straw Hat Pirates! It’ll take a bit more time to get this show done, but we’ll continue to do our best to deliver a show that we’re confident will be enjoyed by everyone around the world! Look forward to more updates in the future!”
Maeda and Owens added to this by themselves stating:
“We are so excited to set sail with this amazing and talented cast! Finding the right people to pull off the looks, emotions, and actions of the iconic Straw Hats was a long and challenging (and fun!) process. Much like the search for the One Piece itself. But we have finally found the perfect fits! They have already begun working very hard to bring these characters to life. You will come to know and love them just as much as their manga counterparts. All of us can’t wait to show you what we’ve come up with! Onward to adventure!”
This article interests me because I’m personally unreasonably excited for this show to be released. As a fan of the source material I’m very satisfied with the appearance of all of the actors that have been chosen so far. Also, all of the promotional material the actors have put out since having been announced reflects the fact that they have done research regarding their roles which is good to see.
Rosario, Alexandra Del. “’One Piece’: Iñaki Godoy to Star as Monkey D. Luffy in Netflix Live-Action Series; Mackenyu, Emily Rudd, Jacob Romero Gibson & Taz Skylar Board Cast.” Deadline, Deadline, 9 Nov. 2021, https://deadline.com/2021/11/one-piece-netflix-cast-live-action-series-inaki-godoy-mackenyu-emily-rudd-jacob-romero-gibson-taz-skylar-1234870853/.
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