One Piece Season 2 is finally shaping up. After Netflix renewed the live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s manga for a second season in September 2023, its pre-production has been underway following the end of the Hollywood strikes. The new season finally has an exciting production update and a new showrunner, Joe Tracz.
Deadline broke the news of Tracz joining One Piece Season 2 as its new writer, executive producer, and co-showrunner. The Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ co-executive producer will work alongside Matt Owens, who originally developed the first season with Steve Maeda. Though Maeda left his post as a co-showrunner, he would remain the second season’s executive producer.
The show marks Tracz’s return to Netflix after serving as the writer-producer of the TV adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events, which ran for three seasons from 2017 to 2019, based on the book series of the same title by Lemony Snicket. He, too, was the co-creator and executive producer of the 2020 romantic comedy TV series Dash & Lily, based on the YA novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. The show was canceled after just one season.
“I’ve been lucky to work on big adaptations of several beloved series, and they don’t come bigger or more beloved than One Piece,” Tracz said. “I’m a huge fan of Oda-san’s incredible imagination and I was blown away by what the live-action team created in Season One. So, it’s a dream and a joy to come aboard the Going Merry as it enters the Grand Line for an even more giant Season Two.”
Alternatively, Owens revealed Tracz would help take One Piece Season 2 to new heights with his “wealth of enthusiasm and experience.” As he’s now set to be co-captain of the ship, the staff felt lucky to have him as the “best crew on the seas grows larger.”
When will the production of Netflix’s One Piece Season 2 begin?
Meanwhile, Production Weekly Issue 1393 revealed that One Piece Season 2’s production would begin around June 2024. The listing also claimed the filming would be in South Africa, just like the first season. However, there would also be new filming locations in Spain and Mexico.
According to What’s on Netflix, the production may run for about seven months, which means it may end in January 2025 if it begins this June. If this happens, it will be similar to the first season’s production length, which ran for nearly seven months, from January 31 to August 22, 2022. However, the filming dates are still subject to change. Deadline also revealed that the production is expected to start in June, and the new season will premiere in 2025.
What to Expect from Netflix’s One Piece Season 2
One Piece Season 2 is expected to adapt the manga and the anime’s second saga, the Arabasta Saga. Here, Luffy and the Straw Hats will make their way to Loguetown for resupply as they prepare to sail to the Grand Line after ending their adventure in East Blue. They will then meet the town’s captain, Smoker, who was seen in the first season’s end-credits scene.
The new season may also adapt the Drum Island Arc, where Luffy and his crew meet Tony Tony Chopper. Oda-san confirmed Chopper’s appearance in the second season when the show’s second-season renewal was announced. As the creator revealed that the Straw Hats need a doctor, the group will travel to Drum Island to find a physician who can help heal Nami’s mysterious disease.
With a highly successful first season, becoming one of Netflix’s most-watched original series, fans have great expectations for One Piece Season 2. Hopefully, the new season will continue the show’s tone and style despite having a new showrunner.
