When Eiichiro Oda confirmed the continuation of Luffy’s live-action journey in One Piece Season 2, he revealed that Tony Tony Chopper would be introduced as a new member of the crew. As part of Chopper’s storyline, his mentor and adoptive mother, Dr. Kureha, will also play a major role in the show. Jamie Lee Curtis had previously expressed interest in portraying the elderly doctor. However, with news that the scream queen will not appear in the new season, rumors suggest the Sons of Anarchy star Katey Sagal may be cast as Dr. Kureha instead.
The rumors began when Sagal recently appeared as a guest on Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast. When Howie Mandel asked the actress-singer if she wanted to promote anything else, she teased that she had a “really good thing” she couldn’t talk about due to signing an NDA.
“I can't say it. I can't say what I am going to do,” she said. “Very soon, I am going very far away that I cannot talk about.”
The big reveal came when the 70-year-old star mentioned that this mysterious project “would be on Netflix” next year. Though she didn’t provide details, her statement seemed to align with One Piece Season 2. Fans quickly assumed it was what she was referring to, especially considering that the new season is filming in Cape Town, South Africa, and is set for release in 2025. Adding more fuel to the fire, insider MyTimeToShineHello also claimed that Sagal has “apparently” been cast as Dr. Kureha.
Will Jamie Lee Curtis be in Netflix’s One Piece Season 2?
After Curtis expressed interest in playing Dr. Kureha, fans began campaigning to see her in One Piece Season 2. Producer Matt Owens even attempted to bring the veteran star on board for the highly anticipated second season, but unfortunately, it won’t happen.
In an interview with Deadline, Tomorrow Studios president Becky Clements confirmed that Curtis would no longer be part of the live-action series. Though Curtis loves the show, she has many other films and TV shows in production.
“So our production dates aren’t going to work,” Clements explained. “She definitely wanted to do it, but she’s got deals in first position, and it just became complicated.”
Though the show lost Curtis, Clements later confirmed they had “found an amazing person” to play Dr. Kureha. However, she didn’t provide further details on who would take the role.
So far, though Netflix has already revealed the new cast and characters coming in One Piece Season 2, it has yet to confirm who will play Dr. Kureha and Chopper. If Sagal will indeed be Dr. Kureha, like Curtis, she will also be a good fit for the role, knowing her great talents in comedy and drama. So, as these rumors have already started swirling, it may only take a little while before the service makes an official announcement.
All episodes of live-action One Piece Season 1 are available on Netflix.
