There has long been a stigma regarding Hollywood live-action adaptations of popular manga being unfaithful to its source material (think Dragonball Evolution, Death Note, and Cowboy Bebop, to name a few). As such, fans of Eiichiro Oda’s long-running pirate saga had serious doubts when Netflix acquired the rights for a One Piece TV series.
But to everyone’s surprise, it was a massive hit and now the anticipation builds on what the Straw Hat Pirates and their hijinks are up to in the sequel. Thankfully, we might not have to wait long to see the crew back in action again amid reports that season 2 of One Piece has already wrapped filming.
Off To Post -Production
News about the end of production comes via Emily Rudd’s (Nami) stunt double, Cape Town stuntwoman and actress Natalie Walsh. She ed a photo with colleagues Mcrae Douglas, Shaun Verth, and Nathan Barris on her Instagram Story and captioned it: “Wrap up party vibes let’s gooooo.” Given posts like this stay visible for only 24 hours, a content publisher for all things One Piece named Pew (@pewpiece) managed to grab a screenshot and posted it on X.
While there’s no official confirmation yet from showrunners Matt Owens and Joe Tracz, or from Netflix or Oda himself, it’s safe to assume that season 2 of One Piece is probably on post-production now. And if we take Walsh’s post as any form of confirmation, then filming for the sequel is well within its projected timeframe and we could probably get at least a teaser anytime soon. Work began in June 2024 and was projected to finish before the year ends.
Season 2 Story Arc and Potential Season 3 coverage
Expect Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) and his crew of loyal misfits in another action-packed adventure in the high seas. Initially, there were reports that the instalment will feature the Alabasta (or Arabasta) story arc. But due to it being too large, then season 2 of One Piece will instead focus on the beginning of this saga with the inclusion of exciting key locations: Reverse Mountain (Twin Cape), Drum Island, Little Garden, Loguetown, and Whiskey Peak.
Likewise, the anticipated season will introduce fresh faces to portray a bunch of crucial characters to the storyline. And if the sequel maintains the pace of progression like the inaugural episodes, then a fan-favorite character hinted at the end of season 1 could make an appearance and become a member of the Straw Hats (doctor Tony Tony Chopper is in).
Vincent Regan, who plays Vice iral Garp in the series, shared during an interview with Collider at Vienna Comic-Con that filming for season 3 will probably start soon. He also teased: “I think they are doing- I think it’s called the Albasta story arc. I think it’s going to take two seasons.” He added: “What I’ve seen of the designs, drawings, and when I was there, there was some really fun stuff being shot there at the moment.”
Accuracy Between The TV Series And Manga/Anime
We can’t wait to watch all the live-action hijinks Luffy (Godoy), Zoro (Mackenyu), Nami (Rudd), Sanji (Taz Skylar), and Usopp (Jacob Romero) get themselves into this time. Regan had teased that while filming for season 2 of One Piece has wrapped, it wont be ready for Netflix until before Christmas next year.
But with Oda closely overseeing production as creative consultant, we can at least take comfort in knowing that any creative changes made by Netflix is with his approval. Considering the first season was unanimously praised by critics and fans alike, it’s safe to say the and future installments are in good hands. Fans like us closely following the manga are definitely hyped!
Published: Dec 22, 2024 05:31 pm