@Courtesy of Netflix
After months of speculation, Netflix has announced new details about the cast and upcoming film dates for the third season of its One Piece live-action series. Filming will get underway in Cape Town, South Africa on November 24 and run through June 19, 2026. The third season will probably make its debut sometime in the late summer of 2027.
While no details have yet been revealed about the story line or plot details, it is known that Xolo Maridueña iwill be playing the role of Portgas D. Ace, and Cole Escola will be joining the cast in the role of the assassin Bon Clay.
Though One Piece’s second season won’t be making its debut until March of 2026, the show’s official synopsis promises “fiercer adversaries and the most perilous quests yet” as Luffy and the Straw Hats set sail for the Grand Line, “a legendary stretch of sea where danger and wonder await at every turn. As they journey through this unpredictable realm in search of the world’s greatest treasure, they’ll encounter bizarre islands and a host of formidable new enemies.”
Netflix teased a batch of images in October that depicted various destinations the Straw Hats will be visiting, including Whisky Peak and Drum Island. The images also portrayed various characters in the popular anime series, such as Smoker, who will be played by Callum Kerr.
Smoker, a Marine officer, is one of the major recurring characters in One Piece. He made his first appearance in Loguetown, “the town at the beginning and the end” that is the last stop before the Grand Line and serves as the primary locale for the Loguetown Arc in the series. Luffy encounters Smoker for the first time here.
Smoker is so named because he’s always seen smoking a cigar and because he ate the Moku Moku no Mi, a Devil Fruit that gave him the ability to transform himself into smoke. He is revered by fans as a beloved anti-hero for whom justice is a prime motivator.
One Piece continues to be produced by Film Afrika Entertainment, FA Project Arcadia and Tomorrow Studios.
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