The creator of One Piece revealed that Netflix won’t air a live-action series unless he’s pleased with the show.
Eiichiro Oda said he has been working with Netflix and co-producers Tomorrow Studios for “quite some time now.”
In a letter to his fans published on Netflix Geeked on 4 May, Oda disclosed that the show’s filming is almost over and that they would be launching shortly.
“We’re in the final process! Right now! Of finishing all eight episodes! We’ll be setting sail very soon,” he said.
Despite having a 2023 release date, Netflix had guaranteed Oda that the series would not begin airing until he gave his approval.
“Netflix has committed enormous resources to the production. It was announced that the show will launch in 2023, but they’ve promised that we won’t launch until I’m satisfied,” the manga writer said.
Oda also mentioned that when working with Netflix and Tomorrow Studios, he faced a variety of cultural barriers that made him question whether a global One Piece production was indeed possible.
“Even though they understand each of the characters, we obviously come from very different cultures, so when it comes to entertainment, we have different codes, skill sets and aims,” he said.
But the 48-year-old artist reassured the audience that the team has been able to work harmoniously. “We’ve been hard at work this entire time. And now, each and every entity involved is working in sync. We’re finally here.”
Oda said he agreed to the live-action One Piece adaptation in 2016 because he believed it was the last chance to bring the series to a worldwide audience.
“I believe this is the last chance to bring One Piece to the entire world. If we’re going to do it, I want to be able to supervise things while I’m still active. That’s why I agreed to the live-action adaptation of One Piece back in 2016.”
Netflix unveiled a first look at the live-action One Piece adaptation earlier this year, featuring a silhouette of Iaki Godoy’s Monkey D. Luffy wearing the recognizable red vest and straw hat.
Another teaser picture shows Godoy’s Luffy standing on the beach with the Straw Hat team, including Taz Skylar’s Sanji, Emily Rudd’s Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson’s Usopp and Mackenyu’s Roronoa Zoro.
One Piece, which has been serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since 1997, is one of the all-time best-selling manga series, with more than 500 million copies in circulation as of August 2022.
The show will draw its inspiration from Oda’s original manga and anime, which follows Luffy and his pirate crew as they scour the seas in search of the legendary One Piece treasure and rise to the position of Pirate King.