Netflix's One Piece Debuts Its Wild First Trailer, Bringing The Beloved Anime To Live-Action - Looper

Netflix's One Piece Debuts Its Wild First Trailer, Bringing The Beloved Anime To Live-Action - Looper,The first trailer for "One Piece" dropped at Brazil's TUDUM event. Monkey and the gang have made their way to live-action.

Netflix’s One Piece Debuts Its Wild First Trailer, Bringing The Beloved Anime To Live-Action – Looper

After five years of development, the Straw Hat Crew is finally ready to set sail for a live-action “One Piece” adaptation at Netflix — and you can already get a taste of all the swashbuckling action in the series’ first trailer.

Developed by Matt Owens (“Luke Cage,” “Agents of SHIELD”), “One Piece” will attempt to translate the immensely popular ongoing Japanese manga and anime of the same name, which began in 1997 and has gone on to become the best-selling comic book series of all time. It was originally created by Japanese writer and illustrator Eiichiro Oda, who serves as an executive producer on the Netflix series. Owens is also on board as an executive producer and showrunner on the series, alongside “Pan Am” and “Lie to Me” EP Steven Maeda.

The series will follow Monkey D. Luffy, a 17-year-old aspiring pirate with dreams of assembling his own crew to hunt for the legendary treasure known as the One Piece. Speaking to the press at Netflix’s offices in New York, actor Iñaki Godoy described Luffy as “a big dreamer” who’s “super optimistic.” He continued, “He’s a little bit clumsy at times, but he’s also super brave, he’s loyal to his friends, and he will do anything for his crew and his dreams.” Godoy is joined by “Fear Street” star Emily Rudd as the “Cat Burglar” Nami, Mackenyu as the “Pirate Hunter” Roronoa Zoro, Jacob Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as ship chef Sanji.

After the harsh critical and fan reception to the streamer’s previous anime adaptations of “Death Note” and “Cowboy Bebop,” Netflix seems eager to deliver a series that meets fan expectations of quality and fidelity. While we’re still a few months away from seeing the finished series, “One Piece” fans can finally take a look at how the series has translated to live action.

The Straw Hat Crew races for The Grand Line

The newly released trailer features Netflix’s take on the core cast and world of “One Piece,” including sweeping shots of outrageous ships, energetic characters, and fantastical action set pieces.

After opening with several shots of Iñaki Godoy’s Monkey D. Luffy looking suitably wistful while pining for a life as a pirate (including a particularly striking image set against the backdrop of the Sambas Region eatery Baratie), the boy captain is seen rescuing Zoro from captivity. Behind him is a large banner bearing the iron-jawed visage of Captain Morgan (played by “Warrior” actor Langley Kirkwood).

As Nami speaks about the dangers of traversing the Grand Line (a particularly treacherous ocean route), we get quick shots of Zoro fighting with multiple swords, Luffy cowering beneath a great sea monster (presumably just before being rescued by Peter Gadiot’s Shanks), the pink, heart-clad pirate ship known as Miss Love Duck (captained by Ilia Isorelýs Paulino’s Alvida), and the eerie-looking Buggy the Clown (“Agent’s of SHIELD’s” Jeff Ward). There’s even an extended sequence featuring Luffy’s unique stretching powers.

Though there isn’t enough footage yet to judge the series’ most important qualities such as writing, acting, or direction, it can at the very least be said that Netflix’s live-action “One Piece” adaptation looks to be a visually faithful, bombastic translation of the widely beloved series. The Straw Hat Crew will set sail on August 31.