The original manga creator of One Piece is heavily involved in the live-action adaptation on Netflix, one of the writers said.
Matt Owens, the showrunner of the Netflix project, revealed that Eiichiro Oda and his team are majorly consulted for the U.S. take on One Piece.
Owens shared in a streaming event that Oda reads through their outlines and the scripts. The Netflix writing team also received notes from the creator on how to improve the adaptation.
But while this project will be for the global audience, the showrunner explained that they have had a balancing act in retaining the original storylines versus exercising their creative liberties.
“It’s always a conversation between us and Oda and his team,” the writer said. “We always go back to the source material.”
Owens also shared that Netflix is aware of the value of this popular manga series. So, the potential changes in the live-action adaptation are for the sake of grabbing a wider audience.
“No changes come because it’s like, ‘Oh, I don’t like the Arlong fight…” There’s nothing like that.”
Casting and filming have not started
Oda revealed that they’ve been hatching the live-action version since 2017. Netflix confirmed the adaptation of One Piece early this year with a 10-episode order.
However, it might be a while before the Netflix series becomes a reality. The creator said that he’s not going to rush with this project even if the fans are eager to see its outcome. As such, Netflix has not yet started with casting the live-adaptation production.
There were rumors that Riverdale star Cole Sprouse is the top choice to play Sanji. Owens, however, said that this information is not true. There were also plans to start filming this year but the COVID-19 situation on many Hollywood sets ultimately delayed the production.
Oda-sensei will oversee the live-action #OnePiece series by @stevemaeda and Matt Owens. @NXOnNetflix pic.twitter.com/rFrDOvakLc
— ONE PIECE(ワンピース) Netflix (@onepiecenetflix) January 29, 2020
What is One Piece about?
Owens is admittedly a big fan of the anime, which was originally published in Japan in 1997. The story covers the adventures of a pirate named Monkey D. Luffy, who ate a Devil Fruit that changed his body into rubber. Together with his crew, Monkey D. Luffy goes on a hunt for that elusive treasure, known as One Piece, which will make him the King of Pirates.
After more than two decades, Oda announced in August that One Piece is nearing its end. By September, the manga had 97 volumes published. During its entire run, the property has spawned a franchise in movies, TV and video games.
Image courtesy of Funimation/YouTube