Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
You best believe it, One Piece is coming out like you’ve never seen it before. Netflix announced that it’s moving ahead with a live-action adaptation of the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, the Straw Hat Pirates, and the rest of the gang.
According to Netflix, the upcoming live-action series has been ordered for 10 episodes. It will be executive produced by One Piece‘s creator Eiichiro Oda. Steven Maeda (Lost, The X-Files) is set to serve as the series’ showrunner with Matt Owens (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Luke Cage) as well as Tomorrow Studios’ Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements (Cowboy Bebop, Snowpiercer, Hanna) also serving as executive producers. Netflix has yet to announce a premiere date for the series.
The news was first announced via Twitter by Weekly Shonen Jump, the long-running manga anthology series.
Rumors about a live-action series first started circulating in July of 2017. That’s when Weekly Shōnen Jump’s editor Hiroyuki Nakano announced that Tomorrow Studios and the publication’s corporate owner Shueisha would start developing the series for an American audience.
Originally released in July of 1997, One Piece follows the story of Monkey D. Luffy, an ambitious and happy boy whose body is turned to a rubbery substance after he eats a Devil Fruit. Together he and his band of friends are determined to finding the world’s ultimate treasure, known as the “One Piece.” Once they acquire that then Luffy can achieve his ultimate goal of becoming King of the Pirates.
Known for its silly characters and ridiculously flexible fighting scenes, One Piece has long been a favorite for fans of the medium. In 1999 the series was adapted into an anime, which at 919 episodes in is still currently running. The series has also been adapted into 14 theatrical films, 38 games (only 11 of which have been released in North America), and countless soundtracks and light novels. There’s even an indoor theme park dedicated to the property, the Tokyo One Piece Tower, which is located within the Tokyo Tower. What we’re saying is One Piece is a pretty big deal.
And Netflix already has a fair amount of practice of adapting popular anime into live-action installments. Bleach, FullMetal Alchemist, and Death Note have already received the live-action treatment from the streaming giant. It’s even been rumored that Netflix’s Death Note movie would be getting a sequel. Netflix also has a live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop in the works. Here’s hoping Netflix figures out how to animate Luffy’s rubber-armed antics.
