Live-Action 'One Piece' To Set Sail On Netflix

Turning animation into live-action- or at least part live-action - has become big business. It's not surprising to see Netflix get in on the act. Anime has also seemingly been doing well for the streaming giant. So combining the two sounds like a recipe for success, surely?

Netflix certainly hopes so, as they have announced that they have picked up the live-action adaptation of the massively successful manga and anime franchise One Piece. This follows the currently in production Cowboy Bebop live-action series and the American adaptation of Death Note so this isn't their first crack at adapting Japanese comics and animation either.

One Piece has been running in comic form since 1999 and in animation since 2000 and has been consistently one of Japan's favourite series ever since. It follows the adventures of Monkey D Luffy who is on a quest to become King Of The Pirates. Along the way, he picks up a motley crew as he takes on rival pirates and Navy forces to make his dream come true.

The series is being adapted as a TV series, and Netflix's initial order is for 10 episodes. The project was first announced back in 2017 but only now seems to be going ahead. It's being made in co-production with Tomorrow Studios and original publisher Shueisha. Tomorrow Studios and producers Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements are working on the  Cowboy Bebop series, so this can maybe be taken to indicate that they are happy with how that's turning out. Steven Maeda is on board as show-runner and writer, with Matt Owens also on writing duties.

Fans have expressed concerns about how this will translate to live-action, as the original is extremely cartoony and over-the-top. Luffy gains powers after eating a Devil Fruit that turns him into a Stretch Armstrong style rubber man. It's definitely going to be extremely tricky to pull off well. It'll need to be VFX heavy, but at least Netflix has the budget to do it justice.

Original manga creator Eiichiro Oda is on board as executive producer, so hopefully, at the very least, we won't have another Dragon Ball Evolution on our hands.

This is probably quite some way off, as there's no casting news or any sign of a release date.  Do you think there's a way of doing a good live-action One Piece? Sound off in the comments or get in touch over our usual social media channels.

[source: Netflix]