One Piece's Creator Eiichiro Oda Played A Major Role In The Live-Action Series - Exclusive
For Japanese manga artist and "One Piece" creator Eiichiro Oda, helming the wildly popular comic book series isn't just a job — it's a way of life. For the past 26 years, the storyteller and illustrator has been fully immersed in the "One Piece" world, bringing to life the beloved pirate named Luffy, whose ambition to be crowned the next King of the Pirates leads him to set sail with his Straw Hat crew to find the mythical treasure known as the One Piece.
Since its debut in 1997, "One Piece" has become the best-selling manga series in history, selling over 500 million copies worldwide. So it's no surprise that Netflix decided to adapt the story into a live-action show, which is now streaming on the subscription service. Costing an estimated $18 million per episode, the live-action "One Piece" is quite a production, with a bevy of rising stars stepping into the characters' shoes and a top-tier behind-the-scenes crew making sure everything is perfect.
One of those helping to bring "One Piece" from page to screen is director Emma Sullivan, who led the charge on Episodes 3 and 4 of the inaugural season. With credits including "Doctor Who" and "Call the Midwife" under her belt, the continually rising director was laser-focused on sticking to Oda's original vision. The task wasn't hard, as Oda played a major role in adapting the manga series for the small screen, immersing himself like always into the world.
During an exclusive interview with Looper, Sullivan explained just how hands-on Oda really was when it came to turning "One Piece" into a live-action adventure.
Sullivan would re-shoot scenes to please Oda
While Emma Sullivan wasn't too familiar with the "One Piece" manga before being hired to help adapt the series for Netflix, she was nevertheless invested in making sure it pleased the fans — and Eiichiro Oda. With the help of showrunners Matt Owens and Steven Maeda — who also co-wrote several episodes — Sullivan stayed fixated on getting things right, telling us that together their "first priority was to stick to Oda's vision, and to make sure that we have fulfilled what he would want for the show ... That's the most important thing: to get Oda's vision correct."
She added that Owens and Maeda "constantly would go back to Oda and check [with him]. It's not exactly the same as the manga, and it was a long time ago that he originally wrote it, but [they wanted to make sure he] was happy with the changes that they made ... The main thing is making sure Oda's happy."
While Oda wasn't necessarily on set, his presence loomed large, and everything went through him before making the final cut. "We would re-shoot scenes if Oda didn't like them," said Sullivan. "It was great to have him at the top of our pyramid, making sure it's all within his vision."
While she never actually met Oda because she "worked further down the supply chain," Sullivan noted that Owens and Maeda went to Japan to talk with him in person. "I'd love to meet him," she said. "I'd also be quite nervous ... because [his work] means so much to the fans. They're so passionate about it ... Hopefully, [this series] will [attract] new fans, and I hope that the millions and millions of fans that it already has will approve of what we've done."
"One Piece" is a live-action pirate adventure created in partnership with Shueisha and produced by Tomorrow Studios and Netflix. Matt Owens and Steven Maeda are writers, executive producers, and showrunners. Eiichiro Oda, Marty Adelstein, and Becky Clements also executive produce. All eight episodes of the series are available on Netflix.