One Piece Live Action Season 2: Casting Calls for 7 New Characters

On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, it was reported that One Piece Live Action season 2 had released casting calls for seven new characters who will play significant roles in the second season. These characters include Vivi Nefertari, Nico Robin, Captain Smoker, Tashigi, Ms. Valentine, Mr. 5, and Crocus. Each of these characters has been assigned specific ages and ethnicities in their casting calls.

Similarly, a notable aspect of the casting call is the inclusion of Nico Robin’s ethnicity as “Hispanic/Latino”. This has sparked discussion among fans as the original series creator, Eiichiro Oda, has previously stated that he envisions Robin as Russian and portrays her as such in his drawings. While some may have reservations about this decision, others are choosing to have faith in the creative team behind One Piece Live Action season 2 and their ability to bring their own interpretation to the character.

Netflix’s One Piece Live Action Season 2: Casting for Nico Robin

As previously stated, the most significant development in the latest news for One Piece Live Action season 2 is the decision to cast a Hispanic/Latino actress as Robin. Although her skin tone is initially much darker than it becomes later in the series, this choice appears to lack a certain level of foresight.

All casting calls have been fully detailed, including the request for a female actress ages 20-39 for the role of Nico Robin. The role of Vivi Nefertari is looking for a 17-20 year old female actress of Middle Eastern, North African, or South Asian descent. For Smoker’s role, a male actor of White ethnicity between the ages of 25-35 is preferred, while Tashigi’s role is seeking a female actress of Asian ethnicity aged 20-29.

Ms. Valentine’s casting call specifies the need for a female actress between the ages of 20 and 29, and also specifies that the actress should be of White ethnicity. Similarly, Mr. 5’s role calls for a male actor between the ages of 20 and 29, but with a requirement for Black ethnicity. Lastly, the casting call for Crocus states the need for a male actor between the ages of 65 and 79, but with an “Open”ethnicity, indicating that Crocus may have a different appearance than what fans are accustomed to.

The filming for season 2 of Netflix’s One Piece Live Action, set to take place at Tomorrow Studios in South Africa, is scheduled to begin in June of this year. This suggests that the aforementioned roles will be filled promptly. While it is uncertain if there will be any further casting announcements at the time of writing, there are certainly other significant characters that still need to be cast in addition to those listed above.

Similarly, this implies that the series’ staff have already assigned these roles, with the aforementioned seven positions being the ones they were unable to fill with well-known names. It is worth noting that there was no open casting call for the role of Dr. Kureha, which could mean that fans’ speculation of Jamie Lee Curtis being cast for the role may come true.

The second season of Netflix’s One Piece Live Action series is a continuation of their highly successful adaptation of Oda’s original manga series, also titled One Piece. The manga series first debuted in 1997 and is still ongoing, as is the television anime adaptation which premiered in 1999.