Yes folks, this project is still on, as Netflix has announced this Wednesday that they have gained the streaming rights to the Hollywood live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece. The international streaming service has also revealed that the live-action series will run for ten episodes, and that series creator himself Eiichiro Oda will be executive producer.
Eiichiro Oda also released a message below, which translates as such:
“I know I announced the production of this back in 2017, but these things take time! Preparations have been slowly progressing behind the scenes, and it seems that I can finally make the big announcement: Netflix, the world’s leading streaming entertainment service, will be lending us their tremendous production support! This is so encouraging!! How far will the story progress over the 10 episodes of Season 1? Who will be cast!? Please be patient a little longer and stay tuned!!”
One Piece’s Hollywood TV series will be produced by Tomorrow Studios, a partnership between producer Marty Adelstein (Teen Wolf, Prison Break, as well as the live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop) and ITV Studios. Last July 2019, Shonen Jump also published a message from producer Adelstein, who expressed confidence that Owens was “perfect” for the upcoming project:
When I first heard Matt’s presentation of his vision for the work, I thought he was the perfect person to take on this project. What is the most impressive and important to me is that he is a true One Piece fan. I am very excited I can work with Matt, who has an overflowing talent as a scriptwriter.”
The Hollywood live-action adaptation was first announced on the manga’s 20th anniversary last July 2017. When the news broke out, Adelstein stated in an interview that the One Piece live-action adaptation “could set a new record for the highest production cost in television drama history”. In 2018, he also stated he and series creator Eiichiro Oda have agreed that the series will start with the East Blue arc and will “broaden on from there”. No other details have been revealed on the project.
Source: Anime News Network