Netflix’s live-action One Piece adaptation has found its Straw Hat gang, the first major milestone in its quest to adapt one of the most popular and long-running anime of all time into a second, fleshier streaming hit. Produced in partnership with Tomorrow Studios (much like the forthcoming live-action Cowboy Bebop), One Piece hopes to win over fans new and old by way of a vibrant cast, and the blessing and involvement of manga creator Eiichiro Oda, who serves as an Executive Producer on the new show.
Here is that cast, presented via the lyrics of the legendary Pirate Rap:
YO!
Ya-yo, ya-yo!
Dreamin’! Don’t give it up, Luffy! (Iñaki Godoy, from Netflix’s Who Killed Sara?)
Dreamin’! Don’t give it up, Zoro! (Mackenyu, from Pacific Rim: Uprising)
Dreamin’! Don’t give it up, Nami! (Emily Rudd, from Fear Street)
Dreamin’!
Don’t give it give it up give it up give it up give it up give it up give it up give it UP!
Here’s how the story goes, we find out
‘bout a treasure in the Grand Line, there’s no doubt
The pirate whose eye is on it, he’ll sing
I’ll be King of the Pirates, I’m gonna be King!
Ya-yo, ya-yo, ya-yo… oh-ho…
I would go on but there are two more cast members that don’t get mentioned in the Pirate Rap: Usopp, played by Jacob Romero Gibson (All Rise) and Sanji, played by Taz Skylar (Villain). I would write a few bars to mention them, but doing so would mean tarnishing one of the few perfect songs, one that’s right up there with the Foo Fighters’ “Everlong” and the Fugees cover of “Killing Me Softly With His Song.”
The stars all seem to be young actors, early in their careers, which is good considering that One Piece is famously long-running — the manga surpasses 100 volumes this year, and its anime adaptation is, at the time of this writing, on the cusp of airing its 1,000th episode. Absolutely no live-action series goes that long — the Western Gunsmoke is the closest, with 635 episodes of rootin’ and tootin’ across 20 years — but if the new One Piece wanted to give it a run for its money, these pirates would be up to the task. Ya-yo, ya-yo, amirite?
Source: https://www.polygon.com/entertainment/22773077/netflix-live-action-one-piece-cast-announced
