Netflix is undertaking some very ambitious projects in the future. Not only is it currently producing a live-action adaptation of Nickelodeon’s classic animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, but – over the course of just a few months – it’s also become evident that the streamer is planning to adapt the insanely popular Japanese anime One Piece into a live-action TV show, too.
For those of you who are not familiar with the source material, One Piece tells the story of Luffy, a dim-witted yet persistent boy who has but one dream in life: to become the strongest, most-feared pirate on the face of the earth. This is a quite the goal, too, because Luffy’s world knows hundreds of pirates, each of whom is endowed with special, supernatural powers.
Although, as of yet, little is known about Netflix’s One Piece, one anime fandom news network claims that a recent Q&A with actor Christopher Sean teased a thing or two about this tentpole project. Sean, who’s best known for his role in the crime drama Hawaii Five-o, reportedly said that the streamer has cast “big stars” for the project’s leads.
Some fans suspect that Sean will play the character of Roronoa Zoro, a no-nonsense pirate-hunter turned pirate, and right hand of protagonist Luffy. However, the actor has not yet addressed this speculation. In fact, the public knows next to nothing about Netflix’s casting choices, probably owing to the fact that, when producer Marty Adelstein was interviewed recently, he said no one had been cast.
One Piece is set to start principal photography in August this year. That said, the coronavirus pandemic, which already delayed shooting by a few months, may push back the date a few weeks further still. Despite the fact that a Netflix adaptation of the beloved property is an indisputable reality, then, fans might have to wait a pretty long time before they get to see it.