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Netflix's One Piece Live Action has achieved overwhelming success, satisfying the requirements to be renewed for a second season in just a few weeks since it first aired. After retelling the East Blue Saga, the show's season 2 will adapt events that took place in Rogue Town.
The adaptation will then cover the Baroque Works Saga. Keep reading to find some interesting insight about the incoming second part of One Piece Live Action, directly revealed by the showrunner Matt Owens.
Matt Owens shares One Piece Live Action season 2 clues, including chances of Jamie Lee Curtis playing Dr Kureha
The showrunner's favorite scene
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In his interview with Deadline, Owens revealed that his favorite scene in One Piece Live Action was the introduction of Dracule Mihawk, the World's Strongest Swordsman.
"That was something that we had talked about a lot. It was a scene that I was really excited about, it was a scene that Oda was very excited about, and I think it turned out beautifully," Owens said.
Feared as "Hawk Eyes," Mihawk is set to be Roronoa Zoro's greatest opponent in the series. Admittedly, Mihawk's first appearance in the show was nothing short of awesome, as he showcased his overwhelming might by easily slaughtering the vicious Don Krieg and his entire pirate fleet. He also plays around with Zoro with a toy knife while he uses his full power.
Steven John Ward, the actor who played Mihawk, brilliantly impersonated the character, portraying the deadly swordplay and shrewd irony of the man who is stated to surpass even "Red Hair" Shanks.
Smoker's role in One Piece Live Action season 2
One Piece Live Action season 1 ended by showing Smoker angrily extinguishing his cigar on Luffy's bounty poster, implying that the former will be a major antagonist for the Straw Hat Pirates in the show's second part.
Despite being a Navy officer, Smoker acts according to his personal code of justice, which makes him a particularly righteous and honorable individual. He is also a powerful fighter who easily beats Luffy several times.
Owens stated that they decided to put Smoker in the ending sequence of the first part as they knew his appearance would captivate the public's interest.
"He’s someone that I thought people would be excited to tease him, knowing what is coming with him. And it seems to have gotten over well," Owens metioned in the interview with Deadline.
The showrunner also disclosed that the project for season 2 is taking shape, but Netflix has yet to go into any casting for the new characters, including Smoker.
Will Jamie Lee Curtis play Kureha in One Piece Live Action season 2?
Eccentric and rough, the 141-years-old Dr Kureha is, in truth, a good-hearted person. After the death of Dr Hiriluk, she adopted Tony Tony Chopper, becoming his new mentor. For this reason, she plays an important role during the Drum Island Arc. Kureha also showed a high degree of knowledge about the mysterious Will of D., which only adds to the depth of her character.
As Kureha is guaranteed to be featured in One Piece Live Action season 2, popular actress Jamie Lee Curtis, a big fan of Eiichiro Oda's story, expressed her intention to interpret the character.
In this regard, Owens declared that the famous American actress would be the perfect choice to play Kureha and that they would open negotiations with her after the end of the Hollywood sit-down strikes.
"As soon as she (Jamie Lee Curtis) said that, we were like, okay, we have to try and get her on the show," Owens told Deadline.
Everyone can't get enough of Buggy
Despite not being as powerful as the other villains, Buggy is one of the most enjoyable characters in the series, as his ridiculous amount of dumb luck systematically enables him to pull through the most difficult situation.
Buggy has the hilarious ability to exploit misunderstandings and sheer luck to increase his public image. In the live-action adaptation, Buggy was portrayed by Jeff Ward, who did an excellent job in portraying the character's comical and yet opportunistic behavior.
In the Deadline interview, Owens revealed that he is glad that Ward is being widely praised for his performance in the role of Buggy, even more so as he and the actor are old friends.
"Jeff and I have been talking about Buggy the Clown for years. Jeff is such a phenomenal actor, he brings such depth, such playfulness, such thought to everything that he does, and he killed it," Owens said.
For the joy of fans, Ward will play Buggy yet again, as the character will return in season 2 of One Piece Live Action.
Matt Owens is a true fan of the series
Due to the high expectations, transposing One Piece into a TV show was no easy task, as the adaptation could fail to epitomize the unique blend that makes Eiichiro Oda's shonen series one of the most appreciated fictional works ever.
Luckily, the project was a success, an outcome that Matt Owens deserves credit for, apart from Eiichiro Oda's contribution. A true fan of the series, Owens gave his best effort to make sure that Netflix's One Piece Live Action stayed true to the original franchise's spirit.
"I found it at a really dark and low point in my life but I also attribute it with helping me get out of it because One Piece is such a wonderful, positive, inspirational series," the showrunner said.
Keep up with One Piece's manga, anime, and live-action as 2023 progresses.
