Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ adaptation will be different from the anime

Netflix‘s upcoming live-action adaptation of popular anime series One Piece has wrapped production after beginning earlier this year in February.

Head writer and show co-runner Matt Owens took to Instagram to confirm production has wrapped with a heartfelt message to his cast and crew. He wrote: “I can’t begin to express the love and gratitude I feel for this city and these people. This talented cast, this hardworking crew, have put something truly incredible together.”

Thanking the people who had a hand in “realising this insane and amazing idea come to fruition,” Owens ended his post with the proclaimation, “The One Piece is real! And we are bringing it to one and all.”

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A post shared by Matt Owens (@cinemattic1)

Mexican actor Iñaki Godoy (Who Killed Sara?), who plays lead protagonist Monkey D. Luffy, also wrote a message of thanks to mark the end of production on his Instagram, thanking his family and the crew, as well as One Piece author Eiichiro Oda.

“Finally,” he wrote, “I want to thank Luffy. Thank you for making me embrace the joy and wonder around me, you remind what it means to be human every time I’m with you. You inspire me, and you taught me so much. I love you Luffy. I will never forget this experience. Can’t wait for all of you to see it.”

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A post shared by Iñaki Godoy (@inakigo)

Cinematographer Nicole Hirsch Whitaker recently told The Filmmaker’s Academy that the adaptation will differ from the anime series, though the story was created in collaboration with Oda. “There will always be fans and critics,” she remarked. “You can’t please everyone but at the heart of it, the most important thing is the story. And if the story isn’t there, and that doesn’t grab the viewers, it doesn’t matter what you do. We can only hope that we’re going to gain a new audience and people that find it fascinating and interesting.”

Netflix announced the series was “officially in production” in early February, with shooting currently taking place in South Africa. The adaptation is reportedly set to run for 10 episodes for its first season, and episode runtimes have yet to be announced.

Japanese actor Mackenyu (Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter, Pacific Rim: Uprising) will star as Roronoa Zoro and American actress Emily Rudd (Fear Street) was announced as Nami. Jacob Romero Gibson (Greenleaf) as Usopp and Taz Skylar (Boiling Point) as Sanji have previously been announced as the castings for Luffy’s crew so far.

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