“One Piece” creator Eiichiro Oda is giving his official thumbs up on Season 2 of the Netflix original. The creator visited the set in Cape Town, South Africa, and shared his thoughts with fans.
“My own casting selections were made from Japan over photos and videos, but seeing them all in person convinced me: They were absolutely the perfect choice!!!” Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the original manga the live-action series is based on, wrote in a post on Instagram. “The vibe on set was just the best, too! Trust me, this is going to surpass Season 1!”
Season 2 of the Netflix original will see the return of series regulars Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Mackenyu as Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero as Usopp and Taz Skylar as Sanji. Additionally, Ilia Isorelys Paulino (Alvida), Jeff Ward (Buggy) and Michael Dorman (Gold Roger) are set to return. But the adventure-of-the-week fantasy series is also greatly expanding its cast for its next installment.
New cast members include Joe Manganiello (“True Blood”) as Mr. 0, one of the biggest antagonists in the “One Piece” franchise, as well as Callum Kerr (“Monarch”) as Smoker, another antagonist who was teased at the end of Season 1. Miss All Sunday, who eventually becomes part of the Straw Hat Pirate crew, has also been cast as Lera Abova (“Anna”).
Additionally, Season 2 will star Charithra Chandran (“Eternals”) as Miss Wednesday; Katey Sagal (“Futurama”) as Dr. Kureha; Mark Harelik (“42”) as Dr. Hiriluk; Sendhil Ramamurthy (“Heroes”) as Nefertari Cobra; Brendan Sean Murray (“Warrior”) as Brogy; Camrus Johnson (“Quiz Lady”) as Mr. 5; Clive Russell (“Sherlock Holmes”) as Crocus; Daniel Lasker (“Raised By Wolves”) as Mr. 9; David Dastmalchian (“Oppenheimer”) as Mr. 3; Jazzara Jaslyn (“Professionals”) as Miss Valentine; Julia Rehwald (The “Fear Street” franchise) as Tashigi; Rob Colletti (“The Many Saints of Newark”) as Wapol; Ty Keogh (“24 Hours to Live”) as Dalton; and Werner Coetser (“Getroud met rugby”) as Dorry.
In his post, Oda also praised Season 2’s set as a whole. “The sets? Huge! The attention to detail? Insane! The crew’s love for the project? Off the charts!!” Oda wrote.
“One Piece” Season 2 is currently in production in Cape Town, South Africa, and was created in partnership with Shueisha and produced by Netflix and Tomorrow Studios, which is an ITV Studios partner. Matt Owens and Joe Tracz serve as the series’ showrunners with Oda, Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements serving as executive producers through Tomorrow Studios. Other EPs include Tetsu Fujimura, Chris Symes and Steven Maeda.