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Tag: TV News

  • ‘One Piece Director on How They Found Their Buggy

    ‘One Piece Director on How They Found Their Buggy

    Buggy might be one of the more challenging adaptations in One Piece’s first season. While it’s not easy making the Fishpeople look realistic in live-action, it’s something different when you have to convince the world that this pirate world also includes a guy who just casually runs around dressed as a clown with a realistic giant red nose. In a way, Agents of SHIELD alum Jeff Ward is the perfect choice to play the character.

    In an interview with Collider, director Marc Jobst shared how they found the perfect Buggy and it turns out Ward just showed up in make-up and made sure that he left a memorable performance. Even early trailers, Ward’s Buggy was a standout for many even when there was some concern early on with the first teaser, but the director highlighted that he “grabbed you by the throat” which sold them on his role.

    When Jeff Ward auditioned for us, he was wearing makeup, and he leapt out of the screen in his audition and grabbed you by the throat, so we knew we had our Buggy.

    Marc Jobst

    The director also goes on to highlight that the biggest challenge for him as a director was definitely trying to film in a giant tent. However, it seems their decision to add Jeff Ward as Buggy pushed the sequence to new heights, especially in how the interactions of Inaki Godoy’s Luffy and Buggy kept elevating the sequence going by his interview.

    When we stepped onto the set, and we shot with him on his day one, it’s this enormous huge tent. It’s just a vast set all made out of old canvas sails, and everything, stitched together. We must have had, I don’t know, three, 400 extras in that, and it only just took up about half of the tent, it’s huge. Jeff walked onto that stage, and he roared, and it was beautiful. He owned that stage, and he owned that floor, and it was like, ‘Wow! Now let’s see how Luffy reacts.’ And of course, what was great is that Jeff sort of devoured his words and owned that space, which also made Luffy work harder. So you had this magical thing of Luffy, who’s saying this is fun, and Buggy saying, ‘I’m gonna eat you up,’ and that makes it really electric. And the fact that Luffy wasn’t scared by Buggy’s biting and roaring, and all the rest of it, just made Buggy more angry, which then becomes really dramatic

    Marc Jobst

    It definitely makes you excited to see the clown pirate in action and raises the question if we’ll get more sequences of him. Buggy is a major character in the franchise with somewhat of a recurring role. It would be a shame not to make good use of Ward’s performance and depending on where they wrap up the first season they may still be keeping him for the second season potentially if it gets renewed.

    Source: Collider

  • Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Team Made Sure Manga’s Creator was Happy with the Series

    Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Team Made Sure Manga’s Creator was Happy with the Series

    There are only a few more days to go until Netflix’s next big venture and potentially last chance of proving they have what it takes to adapt anime and manga to live-action. Tomorrow Studios is back after their mixed results with Cowboy Bebop. The strong marketing push and overall positive reactions hint at a potentially promising future.

    In an interview with director Emma Sullivan, she offered some insight into her process with the live-action adaptation of One Piece. The Doctor Who director was able to tackle some iconic storylines from Eiichiro Oda’s manga and further highlighted that a lot of their work on the project also focused on ensuring that Oda would be happy with how his iconic series turned out.

    It’s big because you really want to make the fans happy because it means so much to them. They’re so invested in these characters. Particularly with ‘One Piece,’ you know, 23 years this has accompanied them through their lives, so it’s really important that you give it the due respect. Obviously, the lucky thing for us is that we had [Eiichiro] Oda-san on site. We always have him to check with, and if he’s not happy, we’ll do it again.

    Emma Sullivan

    It’s definitely crazy to think that Oda had that much power that they would redo the entirety of the sequences to ensure his vision remains alive. Though we have hinted that he had asked for reshoots, this does put into place just how much creative control he had over the production. Especially that a director would also be open that they would redo sequences if he’s not happy shows how everyone was on board with this adaptation from the get-go.

    Source: Collider

  • ‘One Piece’ Composer Shares Working With Aurora for Nami’s Theme

    ‘One Piece’ Composer Shares Working With Aurora for Nami’s Theme

    Netflix is all-in with their upcoming live-action adaptation of One Piece. While many were a bit nervous after their last few ventures, the first reactions are very positive so far and show a promising start to this new adaptation of an iconic series. Not only that, but they also have talented composers Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli on board.

    Famous for her work on The Witcher, Belousova has been heavily promoting the series teasing us with the first songs from the original OST. A big surprise came recently that they also have pop star Aurora attached to sing the theme song for Nami, and it turns out that this beautiful melody was born in just five minutes.

    She shares that “being fans fo the anime” they knew they wanted to have at least one song and it seems it came together on the spot once they saw episode seven of the live-action adaptation; very likely the pivotal sequence for Nami.

    It was born in like five minutes. I just sat down at the piano, because we already had the theme, I played it, I sang some gibberish lyrics in the moment, I recorded on my phone, and done — in 30 seconds.

    Sonya Belousova

    It’s inspirational that the song came together so fast, but it highlights that the moment they are capturing is that memorable. The theme is called “My Sails are Set” and further explores the story of Emily Rudd’s Nami in this adaptation. Belousova also shares what it was like working on the episode with Aurora.

    She has so much spirit and so much freedom. And her expression and energy… she’s able to go really small and really fragile while really highlighting an emotional component of her vocal performance.

    Sonya Belousova

    She also highlights that the song made her cry when Aurora sang it, which is definitely a fitting emotion given that likely transpires in the episode they watched that inspired it. Interestingly enough, the song isn’t meant as a needle drop but rather focused on its connection to the rest of the score.

    Usually songs function as needle drops — it’s very rare for songs to have actually any sort of musical connection to the rest of the score. But [One Piece] was just asking for it. We’re so glad that the whole team felt exactly the same way and got on board immediately and got so excited because we were really excited. I mean, we’re still so excited

    Sonya Belousova

    One Piece isn’t the series where you would drop a modern song into given how detached it is from our world and explores a completely unique one. So, it’s not unusual to have a brand new song made specifically for this show and if it gets many more could see other talented singers and stars give performances to enrich this unique world.

    You can listen to the song right now:

    Source: Polygon

  • ‘One Piece’ Showrunner Says They Had “A Healthy, Healthy Budget”

    ‘One Piece’ Showrunner Says They Had “A Healthy, Healthy Budget”

    We’ve heard rumors that the live-action One Piece series had quite the budget. Netflix was going all-in with this project; highlighted by the many collaborations and toys already set to release shortly after the series is on Netflix. They even have a Zara outfit line planned; a sign that they believe in this project.

    And it seems that they also believed in everyone involved with the project. They worked closely with Eiichiro Oda to ensure that the project stayed true to his original vision. Showrunner Steven Maeda highlights that none of their hands were tied going in and they couldn’t “complain that money wasn’t spent” and they had “a healthy, healthy budget.”

    Along with Oda-san’s oversight and cooperation and partnership, I think that we came up with the very best version of this show that we can. I can’t complaint that money wasn’t spent, I can’t complain that our hands were tied – we were able to make the show we wanted to make.

    Steven Maeda

    Peter Friedlander, who is the Netflix Head of U.S. and Canada for Scripted Series, highlighted that it was a production unlike any other. Not only was Oda heavily involved in the series, but he signed off on many elements they also were constantly coordinating with Netflix Japan and Korea to ensure the series remains true to what the series stands for.

    We hadn’t done something like that before. The logistics of that – late-night calls, early morning calls, emails – it just changes the recipe of how you would help support a show, and I think that really was a special element, a little bit of the secret sauce, because we wanted to have different perspectives on the fandom.

    Peter Friedlander

    It’s definitely an exciting prospect to know just how far they are set to go with this project. Here’s hoping that also translates to the screen once the series finally releases next week. It’ll explore the East Blue saga in its first eight-episode run. One Piece is Tomorrow Studios’ big chance of seeing if live-action adaptations of anime can truly work.

    Source: Variety via Twitter

  • ‘One Piece’ Producer Shared What They Learned from ‘Cowboy Bebop’

    ‘One Piece’ Producer Shared What They Learned from ‘Cowboy Bebop’

    Tomorrow Studios has set itself up for one of the biggest challenges they could’ve ever faced. Not only did they try to tackle the critical darling Cowboy Bebop, but also set their eyes on One Piece. The former, however, did not quite end up winning fans over at the time which had many nervous about the biggest-selling manga’s adaptation.

    Luckily, Executive producer Marty Adelstein highlighted that they took a lot of lessons from their work on Cowboy Bebop. They realized that “fans are expecting you to be true to the source material” which isn’t too surprising given just how invested fans are to the projects they enjoyed for many years.

    What we learned is the fans are expecting you to be true to the source material. As we read the comments, it was always, ‘Well, they didn’t do this character the same as this and that’…It really taught us a lot of what we needed to do with this one.

    Marty Adelstein

    Tomorrow Studios’ president Becky Clements also highlights that it’s not about just adapting the source material but rather that viewers have “the same reaction and feelings towards the narrative” of the live-action adaptation. We want to relieve those moments and have others go through it as well.

    It became everyone’s goal to make sure that when you looked at the show, you thought this was a live-action version of the manga that felt like another feather in the legacy of Oda. That people just get to see it in another genre, but still have the same reaction and feelings towards the narrative.

    Becky Clements

    It’s definitely the right goal to set and something many have talked about when following the live-action adaptation of One Piece. While there were some concerns with the teaser, the first full trailer seemingly brought those feelings back for many viewers, and going by some early social reactions, they may have succeeded.

    Source: Variety via Twitter

  • Nami’s Theme Song in the Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Soundtrack Features Aurora

    Nami’s Theme Song in the Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Soundtrack Features Aurora

    Here’s a rather big surprise but it looks like a Norwegian pop star has contributed to the upcoming live-action One Piece series’ soundtrack. As revealed by one of its composers, the always amazing Sonya Belousova unveiled that the upcoming theme “My Sails are Set” will be sung by Aurora.

    Not just that, it’s also set as Nami’s theme song for the live-action adaptation and will drop this Friday. So, we only have to wait just a bit longer to get a first glimpse at what they were working on. Belousova has very actively been promoting the show with short videos that offer some insight behind the scenes and has quite the infectious energy that gets you even more excited for this adaptation.

    First social reactions have seemingly hit the web as many are praising this adaptation of the iconic manga series. So, there will be a lot of expectations that the series performs well and manages to grow just as big as the original source material. For now, we still have to wait one more week until it finally releases on Netflix.

    Source: Twitter

  • First Reactions for Live-Action ‘One Piece Teasing “the Real Deal”

    First Reactions for Live-Action ‘One Piece Teasing “the Real Deal”

    It looks like the first reactions are making the rounds online for the upcoming live-action adaptation of One Piece. The series has a lot of heart put into it going by what has been shared behind the scenes, it is the last bastion of the future of live-action adaptations for anime. Luckily, it does seem like the adaptation may be the one to break the “curse” even with its more goofy and silly origins.

    The Hollywood Handle shares that the adaptation “is surprisingly amazing” highlighting the action, characters, and “fast-paced development.” It’s unclear if overall the story is quite quickly paced but the “amazing” wording is certainly promising for an adaptation that many scoffed at when it was first announced.

    ComicBook.com’s Megan Peters has also shared her first thoughts highlighting that while she can’t reveal anything, she’s already “watched season one several times now” and that it is “*good* good.” So, it has a chance of grabbing people’s attention to give the series multiple watches or at least finish it to keep it

    Another ComicBook.com writer @EVComedy also shared that the adaptation “does the source material justice and then some.” He also highlighted that this series isn’t just for fans of the original but also will have something to offer for newcomers. They also highlight that “This is NOT Cowboy Bebop” which was critically panned.

    The Streamr’s own Mo has also shared his thought calling it the “King of the Netflix Shows” highlighting the cast, story, camerawork, VFX, and more. Also says it is “the real deal” that many might have been hoping for. With so many uncertainties surrounding Netflix’s reputation with live-action adaptations, this is definitely hinting at it potentially being the series to deliver.

    https://twitter.com/mohooosen/status/1694546964921098408

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Loki’, ‘WandaVision’ and ‘The Mandalorian’ Getting Physical Releases

    ‘Loki’, ‘WandaVision’ and ‘The Mandalorian’ Getting Physical Releases

    Yes, you read the title right. Finally, a streaming service is listening to fans and is giving some of its projects the physical releases they deserve. As many shows and projects are seemingly getting cut for tax reasons, this is great news for those hoping to at least ensure they still have access to these shows no matter what happens to Disney+, Netflix, or whatever streaming service that is out there.

    Disney already hinted at this move with the recent reveal they are releasing Prey, the Predator prequel film, for physical. Shortly after, they have now unveiled that the same is planned for some of their first big releases on the platform. The Mandalorian is finally getting a physical release for its first two seasons with some beautiful-looking artwork that’ll surely make collectors happy.

    And we also have the physical release of the Disney+ Marvel shows. Loki and WandaVision are the first batch to make their way online and into shelves later this year. It seems that it’ll only be available as a Steelbook packaging with 4K and Blu-ray being available. DVD sale seems very unlikely and it’s unclear if they might also offer some regular Blu-ray boxes later down the line. Though these steelbooks are definitely something one wouldn’t want to miss out on in their collection.

    Source: Collider, Twitter

  • First Single from Netflix’s Live-Actone ‘One Piece’ Teases Pirates and Adventure

    First Single from Netflix’s Live-Actone ‘One Piece’ Teases Pirates and Adventure

    One Piece is almost upon us with a few more days to go until it finally releases on Netflix. To keep us going until its release, Netflix and Collider have provided the first single of the pirate adventure we’re about to embark upon. Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli have released the piece “Wealth Fame Power,” inspired by the iconic lines from Gol D. Roger in the series’ opening, and tease their approach with the music.

    The main theme interestingly enough will also push the themes that connect Roger and Monkey D. Luffy. As such, the main theme for the series is that of Luffy, but Roger’s is that same theme in reverse. It adds an interesting layer and also matches Eiichiro Oda’s love for having elements echo each other.

    There’re many shared similarities between Gol D Roger and the Straw Hat’s captain, Monkey D Luffy, their personalities and character traits absolutely match up, so are their music themes. Monkey D Luffy’s theme is the main theme of our show. Gol D Roger’s theme is Luffy’s theme reversed.

    Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli

    They go on to showcase the structure of “Wealth Fame Power” starting off with Roger’s theme before turning into that of Luffy, as the pirate age is unleashed upon the world. In a way, it also matches how Loguetown, where we first meet Roger, reflects the beginning and end with the pun in its name.

    ‘Wealth Fame Power’ opens up with Roger’s theme. It’s powerful, just like Roger himself, driving, and dynamic. It’s a dark, mighty anthem featuring the iconic “musical Jolly Roger” – hurdy-gurdy. As soon as the swords are drawn and the crowd rushes out in search of One Piece, we reverse Roger’s theme and introduce Luffy’s theme, the main theme of our show. Roger’s theme is all about the descending motion since this is the end of the journey for Roger. Luffy’s theme, however, is all about the ascending motion since it’s the beginning of his exciting adventure toward becoming the King of the Pirates.

    Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli

    It’s definitely an exciting prospect to hear how much work has gone into the soundtrack, as it is something that seemingly gets sidelined in modern blockbusters. Having a main theme connect the one who starts the pirate age and our main protagonist as an inversion adds a lot of thematic relevance. Hopefully, we’ll also see more elements like these throughout that connects the Straw Hats thematically.

    Listen to the theme here:

    Source: Collider

  • Disney Sets Release Date for ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Streaming Series

    Disney Sets Release Date for ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Streaming Series

    After stalling out as a theatrical franchise following a pair of less-than-well-received films, Rick Rirodan’s YA novel series, Percy Jackson & the Olympians, is being resurrected as a streaming series on Disney Plus and now fans can mark their calenders for the new show’s debut.

    According to EW, the James Bobin-helmed series, which was originally expected to hit Disney Plus in 2024, will roll out a two-episode debut on December 20th. That date was previously set to be the release date of Lucasfilm’s Skeleton Crew and while there’s been no announcement, it seems unlikely that Disney would push both series out on the same date.

    Percy Jackson & The Olympians tells the fantastical story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, who’s just coming to terms with his newfound supernatural powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. Now Percy must trek across America to find it and restore order to Olympus.

    Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadr headline the new series which is expected to return for a second season with Jonathan E. Steinberg, who co-ran Season 1 with Dan Shotz, on board as showrunner.

    https://youtu.be/nK0HytQwrw8

    Source: EW