It’s no secret that Netflix has been investing heavily in its live-action adaptations of popular anime shows, with remakes of Cowboy Bebop and Avatar: The Last Airbender hitting the streaming service in the coming months.
Now, Netflix has revealed five key cast members of its upcoming One Piece remake, based on Eiichrio Oda’s hugely popular manga and anime franchise. The cast will play characters in the Straw Hat crew, the protagonists of the series.
Iñaki Godoy (Go, Youth!, Who Killed Sara?) will play Monkey D. Luffy, while Mackenyu (Pacific Rim: Uprising) is set to play Roronoa Zoro. Joining them is Jacob Romero Gibson (Greenleaf) as Usopp, Taz Skylar (Boiling Point, Villain) as Sanji, and Emily Rudd (Fear Street, Hunters) as Nami.
Based on the iconic 1997 Japanese manga of the same name, One Piece follows Luffy, a young man who embarks on a journey to become king of the pirates and find the celebrated ’One Piece‘ treasure. 20 seasons of the One Piece anime series have been released to date along with 14 animated films.
The live-action show was first green-lit for 10 episodes back in January. “We’ve been working with Netflix and Tomorrow Studios on the massive project that is the Hollywood live action series adaptation of One Piece! How many years has it been since it was announced, right? I know, I know! But rest assured we’ve been making steady progress all along,” said Oda in a statement released by Netflix.
“It’s not easy when you’re working with people from different cultures! But it’s precisely that process that can yield something special! For now, we’re able to announce the main cast!” he added.
“We decided on this cast after numerous discussions involving people around the world! 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!”
Read the statement in full below.