Netflix Identifies Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Show as Potential ‘Star Wars’-like Franchise
TL;DR:
- Netflix hopes its live-action One Piece show will become a major franchise.
- Thanks to the One Piece anime, the series already has a massive fanbase.
- Netflix’s One Piece and Avatar: The Last Airbender are likely to debut in 2023.
Netflix originals like Stranger Things and The Umbrella Academy may be approaching their conclusions, but the streamer is hopeful that it’s already found its next big franchise. It’s currently in the midst of filming its live-action One Piece adaptation — and Netflix is hopeful the show will ascend to popularity on par with franchises like Star Wars and Harry Potter.
Netflix hopes ‘One Piece’ is its next big franchise
That’s right, the executives at Netflix have high hopes for the streamer’s One Piece show. In fact, during an interview with Reuters, Netflix vice president Matthew Thunell identified it as one of several new releases that could turn into a major franchise. Others included the streamer’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender and science-fiction series The Three-Body Problem.
“We want to have our version of Star Wars or our version of Harry Potter, and we’re working very hard to build that,” Thunell explained. “But those are not built overnight.”
He’s right about that. However, One Piece certainly has the potential to become Netflix’s next big thing.
‘One Piece’ already has a massive fanbase
While any of the series Matthew Thunell mentioned could become Netflix’s next big hit, its One Piece show already has a massive audience ready and waiting. After all, the series is based on an anime that’s been running since 1999. Needless to say, Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hats have already accumulated a sizeable fanbase.
The key to winning over long-time One Piece fans will be painting an entertaining and accurate portrayal of Monkey D. Luffy’s story. As we saw when Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop dropped last year, fans don’t take well to changes to the source material.
Netflix’s live-action One Piece will need to capture the heart of the original to set itself up for success. But when will fans find out how it fares?
‘One Piece’ and ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ will likely be on Netflix next year
Fortunately, we should know what the reception to Netflix’s One Piece show looks like sometime next year. Although an official release date hasn’t been revealed, the live-action series is expected to drop sometime in 2023. It’s currently filming, and the creators showed off One Piece‘s sets during Geeked Week. It seems as though everything is coming together, so we’re hoping to see it soon.
Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender is also filming, so that could hit the platform next year as well. If both come out in 2023, it’s going to be a big year for the streamer – both in terms of long-awaited content and in determining future franchises. Assuming both series are greeted with praise, they stand to blow up even more in the future.
In the meantime, subscribers can check out the first 13 seasons of One Piece‘s anime on Netflix.
