‘One Piece’: Main Cast Set For Japanese Manga Live-Action Adaptation
Netflix‘s live-action adaptation of the iconic Japanese manga One Piece has cast five of its lead stars, including Fear Street actress Emily Rudd and Greenleaf actor Jacob Romero Gibson.
The 10-episode series revolves around Monkey D. Luffy, a young man who develops special powers and sets about on a journey to discover the world’s ultimate treasure known as “One Piece” so he can become the next Pirate King. First published in 1997, the popular manga has previously inspired a 20-season anime series and 14 animated films.
Luffy will be portrayed by Iñaki Godoy, who recently featured in Netflix’s Mexican mystery thriller series Who Killed Sara? as Bruno. Rudd plays Nami, a thief and pickpocket who possesses cartographical, meteorological, and navigational skills, while Gibson plays Usopp, a gifted inventor, painter, and sculptor.
The character Roronoa Zoro will be portrayed by Mackenyu (Pacific Rim: Uprising), who received the 40th Japan Academy Newcomers of the Year Award in 2017. Zoro is the first crewmate to join Luffy’s gang after being saved from execution; he is the crew’s combatant and an expert swordsman.
Taz Skylar (Boiling Point) will play Sanji, born as a prince of Germa Kingdom; he is later taught to become the crew’s first-rate cook. As with all the characters mentioned above, Skylar is a member of the Straw Hat Pirates, the protagonists of the series.
“We decided on this cast after numerous discussions involving people around the world!” said author of the manga series and executive producer Eiichrio Oda. “These are the people who will be our Straw Hat Pirates! It’ll take a bit more time to get this show done, but we’ll continue to do our best to deliver a show that we’re confident will be enjoyed by everyone around the world!”
The series is written and exec produced by Steven Maeda and Matt Owens, with Maeda also serving as showrunner.
“We are so excited to set sail with this amazing and talented cast,” said Maeda and Owens. “Finding the right people to pull off the looks, emotions, and actions of the iconic Straw Hats was a long and challenging (and fun!) process. Much like the search for the One Piece itself. But we have finally found the perfect fits!”
