To celebrate global ONE PIECE Day, Netflix released the official trailer for the highly-anticipated One Piece live-action adaptation on on July 22, 2023, accompanied a personally penned letter from the mangaka, Eiichiro Oda.

In the letter, Eiichiro Oda shared his thoughts on the live-action adaptation, assuring fans that there were no compromises in bringing their beloved characters to life, reflecting his commitment to preserving the integrity of the beloved characters and storyline from the original manga.

The creator also expressed his anticipation for feedback from fans, acknowledging that some might point out missing characters or omissions from the original manga. Nevertheless, he conveyed his openness to these comments, recognizing that they stem from a place of love for the series.

He also shared his initial concerns about some of Luffy’s lines not quite capturing the essence of the character as depicted in the original manga. However, the acclaimed creator was thrilled to witness the transformation on screen, noting that when delivered by Iñaki Godoy as Luffy, these lines worked seamlessly and, in fact, worked brilliantly.

The letter also shed light on the incredible efforts that went into making the live-action series a reality. Oda praised the dedication of the actors, the meticulous world-building, and the intricate costume designs that will make the fantastical elements of One Piece that can only be achieved in live-action. The collaborative spirit of the entire production team was also lauded, as they came together to create a true celebration of the beloved series.

Moreover, Eiichiro Oda expressed his admiration for the producers and crew, who are not only professionals in the world of live-action but genuine ONE PIECE superfans.

 One Piece live-action will release on Aug 31, 2023, exclusively on Netflix.

The One Piece live-action cast includes Iñaki Godoy, who portrays Monkey D. Luffy, Emily Rudd as Nami, Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar will play Sanji. Colton Osorio will portray a young Luffy.

Furthermore, Peter Gadiot will play Shanks, Morgan Davies as Koby, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino as Alvida, Aidan Scott as Helmeppo, Jeff Ward as Buggy, McKinley Belcher III as Arlong, and Vincent Regan as Garp.

The other cast members include:

• Alexander Maniatis as Klahadore
• Steven Ward as Mihawk
• Craig Fairbrass as Chef Zeff
• Langley Kirkwood as Captain Morgan
• Celeste Loots as Kaya
• Chioma Umeala as Nojiko

The live-action will be adapting the East-Blue Saga from the One Piece manga and then “broaden from there”. Matt Owens will serve as the upcoming show’s writer, while Steven Maeda and Becky Clements will be executive producers along with Eiichiro Oda.

Netflix will exclusively stream the series, produced by Tomorrow Studios, a partnership between producer Marty Adelstein and ITV Studios.

Eiichiro Oda had previously stated that the live-action series won’t be launched until he was satisfied.

It was previously revealed that the live-action adaptation won’t be a carbon copy of the original work.

The live action adaptation was under production in South Africa since Feb 1, 2022.

One Piece is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha’s shonen manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump since July 1997, with its individual chapters compiled into 105 tankobon volumes as of March 2023.

Source: Press Release