• Production on the second season of the live-action One Piece series is about to get underway in Cape Town.
• Netflix also confirmed the returning cast members, with all the actors who played Straw Hats in the first season making their way back.
• Character set to feature in the upcoming episode include Brogy, Smoker, Mr. 5, Crocus, Miss Valentine, Dorry, and more.

When Netflix announced that it was making a live-action version of the wildly popular One Piece anime/manga back in 2020, early reactions were mixed to say the least giving the streaming platform’s spotted history when it came to such adaptations (remember Cowboy Bebop?).

But when the series made its debut in the latter half of last year, it impressed many including ourselves in capturing the spirit the of the media it was originally based upon.

It was also of interest to us as much of the filming and production took place here in South Africa, and in particular Cape Town. As such, when we see some characters enjoying naartjies, our local pride was beaming.

Now Netflix is preparing to begin production of season two of One Piece, which too is going to happen in Cape Town. The streaming platform shared a video (embedded below) showing the first season cast reuniting on set, as well as confirming which first season cast members were returning too.

“Netflix today announced the start of production on Season Two of the beloved live action adventure One Piece with a cast video reuniting the original Straw Hat crew, Iñaki Godoy (Monkey D. Luffy), Mackenyu (Zoro), Emily Rudd(Nami), Jacob Romero (Usopp) and Taz Skylar (Sanji) as they come back together in Cape Town,” it noted in a release with Hypertext.

“Returning cast from Season One also include: Ilia Isorelys Paulino as Alvida, Jeff Ward as Buggy, Michael Dormanas Gold Roger,” it added.

Netflix also highlighted which characters from One Piece would be making their first appearances in season two.

“Previously announced new cast members joining season two include Brendan Sean Murray as Brogy, Callum Kerr as Smoker, Camrus Johnson as Mr. 5, Clive Russell as Crocus, Daniel Lasker as Mr. 9, David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3, Jazzara Jaslyn as Miss Valentine, Julia Rehwald as Tashigi, Rob Colletti as Wapol, Ty Keogh as Dalton, and Werner Coetser as Dorry,” it confirmed.

“Additional cast to be announced at a later date,” Netflix advised.

All Nico Robin fans out there may have to wait until season three for the character to feature, or perhaps Netflix is saving her reveal as a surprise for when the series makes its way to the platform.

Speaking of which, no official timeline has been shared as to when season two will be ready to land on Netflix, but given how impressive the first season was, we’re happy to give them as much time as possible.

We’re also hoping that production leads to more jobs for Cape Town’s film industry, as the first season’s filming did.