UPDATE (7/31/17): 

Variety has confirmed reports that One Piece will be turned into a live-action TV series by Marty Adelstein and Tomorrow Studios.

“I’ve been a fan of One Piece for 20 years. I am so honored that Shueisha and Oda-san have entrusted me with such a cherished iconic property,” said Adelstein to Variety. “I will do everything in my power to make the One Piece TV series an absolute success. While I expect this to be one of the most expensive shows ever done in television, the worldwide interest is tremendous and will be well worth the financial commitment.”

ORIGINAL STORY:

Once the current season of One Piece wraps up, the long-running and immensely popular anime will have aired a whopping 800 episodes. The manga has also been turned into a bunch of films, the 13th and most recent of which being last year’s One Piece Film: Gold. And now, the series is finally about to get its very first live-action TV show (via ComicBook).

Series creator Eiichiro Oda has confirmed the news, informing fans that the adaptation is going to be an American production handled by Tomorrow Studios (best known for Prison Break). Speaking of Prison Break, that show’s executive producer, Marty Adelstein, is reported to be in charge of the project.

That’s basically all we know about the show at this point, so all that’s left to do is wait and see how it turns out. We’re cautiously optimistic: Anybody who has sat through even a portion of the show’s 800 episodes knows that One Piece moves at a pretty deliberate pace. That said, it’s been on the air for nearly 20 years now, so there’s a lot of material to potentially cover… perhaps too much for a live-action series, but who knows.

The track record for adapting anime to live-action is also spotty, but we’ll see if studios have figured it out with a pair of upcoming projects: Netflix’s Death Note movie, and the upcoming Cowboy Bebop series.

Are you optimistic about the One Piece show, or do you think it just won’t translate well? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Featured image: Toei Animation