A recent Reuters report explored Netflix’s plan to find its own Star Wars-level franchise. This is in reference to Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm and Star Wars which gave the company a massive IP to boost its film and TV content. In the report, it was mentioned that Netflix is using its hit series Stranger Things as the template for how it will expand upon its roster of titles. For context, Stranger Things inspired a wide range of merchandise and live experiences which Netflix wants to apply to other shows. Specifically, there are around a dozen shows that are in the process of getting this treatment, and among them are three shows. These are The Three-Body Problem, the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the One Piece live-action series. While there are no specific plans that were laid out, this report confirms that Netflix is looking to make the upcoming One Piece adaptation a Stranger Things-level hit. One Piece already has an advantage in that it is already a popular IP all over the world. But this also means that expectations for the show are much higher. If Netflix does want to make the show a big hit and give it the full treatment, it will need to be a good series. If not, it might suffer from the same fate as the Cowboy Bebop live-action series that got canceled after just one season. The upcoming series was revealed back in 2020, and production kicked off earlier this year in South Africa. During the manga’s hiatus, series creator Eiichiro Oda visited the set. The series stars Iñaki Godoy as Luffy, Mackenyu as Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji. Colton Osorio also joined the cast recently as the young Luffy. Netflix has yet to announce a release date for the One Piece live-action series.
