Katey Sagal joins One Piece season 2 after Jamie Lee Curtis passes on role

Netflix is about two months into filming the second season of One Piece, according to Deadline. The first season of One Piece, based on the world-famous manga by Eiichiro Oda, was a big hit when it landed in 2023; bucking the trend of so many anime-to-live-action adaptations, it preserved the loopy elasticity of the animated original while still taking viewers on a rip-roaring journey that worked well in live-action. Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy), Zoro (Mackenyu), Nami (Emily Rudd), Usopp (Jacob Romero) and Sanji (Taz Skylar) will all return as the crew travels into the dangerous Grand Line to fulfill Luffy's quest of finding the One Piece treasure and becoming king of the pirates.

The first issue of One Piece was released back in 1997 and it's still going, so there's a lot of story to cover. The second season is set to cover the Arabasta saga, taking our heroes to places like Loguetown, Reverse Mountain, Whiskey Peak, Little Garden, and Drum Island. We'll also meet a lot of new characters, including fan favorites like Dr. Kureha, an elderly doctor who lives on Drum Island and who befriends the Straw Hat pirates. Originally, Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis said she was interested in playing this part, which was fine with fans who were already dream-casting her in the role. But her schedule didn't work out, and now we learn that the role has gone to Katey Sagal instead.

Sagal might not be quite as famous as Curtis, but she's no slouch. Sagal played Peggy Bundy for a decade on Married With Children, played Gemma for nearly one hundred episodes of Sons of Anarchy, and has voiced Leela on Furutama for the past quarter century. She's basically TV royalty, and probably the biggest name the One Piece show has secured yet.

Meanwhile, Presumed Innocent star Mark Harelik will play Dr. Hiriluk, a thief-turned doctor who also lives on Drum Island. I feel like they cast him because his name is basically the same as his character already. Other new cast members 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. That's a lot of people for a lot of story!

The official One Piece Twitter account shared a statement from Eiichiro Oda that promises fidelity and quality as filming barrels ahead. "Just as with last season, they've gone out of their way to promise that they won't put the show out until I'm satisfied,” Oda said. “This isn't in the contract, you know. It's a verbal pledge. I hope you can appreciate how amazing and determined they are for keeping their word. And they've certainly proven their ability to bring this world to the screen. I just can't wait to see it!"

There's no release date for One Piece season 2 set as of yet, but expect it sometime in 2025.

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