It appears Netflix’s live-action One Piece adaptation, first announced over two years ago, is finally nearing production. In a since-deleted tweet from Netflix Latinoamérica, it appears the actors tasked with bringing the Straw Hat Pirates to life were announced ahead of a planned reveal.
Iñaki Godoy will take on the role of Monkey D. Luffy, the rubber protagonist of the franchise, while his first crewmate, the swordsman Roronoa Zoro, will be played by Mackenyu Arata. Emily Rudd joins the crew as the navigator and thief Nami.
Jacob Romero Gibson has been cast as the Straw Hat’s fourth crewmember, the sniper-wielding pathological liar Usopp. And rounding out the early announcement is Taz Skylar as “Black Leg” Sanji, the crew’s cook
While each cast member has an established filmography, the relatively small actors fit the underdog spirit of the Straw Hats. We have yet to see what the show will look like, but the deleted tweet included images of each actor on wanted posters. Fitting for their characters.
The adaptation is being produced by Tomorrow Studios, the studio behind the imminent Cowboy Bebop live-action adaptation. Mangaka Eiichiro Oda is also working on the “live-action drama series” as an executive producer alongside screenwriter Matt Owens and showrunner Steven Maeda.
The series is one of many live-action anime adaptations in the works at Netflix. The streaming platform also announced Gundam and Yu Yu Hakusho would receive adaptations at Netflix Festival Japan 2021 earlier today. It’s unclear if the cast announcements was being saved for the second day of the event.
One Piece began its serialization in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1997. It has since released over 1000 chapters in a total of 100 volumes. Toei Animation’s anime adaptation, which began in 1999, will air its 1000th episode on Nov. 21.