Netflix One Piece bosses conducted "global search" to find perfect Luffy
Turns out there was only one person for the job.
Finding the leading actor for a franchise adaptation sounds like a stressful job - but for the creative team behind Netflix’s live-action One Piece series, one face stood out above the rest.
With the show’s eight episodes landing on the streaming platform, viewers are set to fall in love with the Straw Hat Pirates all over again.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, director Marc Jobst said: "We were blessed to find Iñaki [Godoy] to play Luffy."
He continued: "We did a big global search when I came on board, and one of the things that we said together as a team is we needed to start casting straight away.
"We knew that this show would stand or fall on whether the audience fell in love with our cast. It was a big ask — we were looking for the right kind of actor, who could bring heart, soul, spirit and warmth to these characters."
Heart and warmth are both key elements to bringing One Piece to life, with Luffy leading his Straw Hats across the seas on brand new adventures.
For Jobst in particular, the leading cast needed to be able to match up to his distinctive directing style.
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"I needed them to be physically fit and able to hold a choreography because of the way that I like to shoot action," he exclusively told RadioTimes.com.
He continued: "In particular, because of the way that I wanted to shoot One Piece action, which is different to the action that I had shot in the Marvel Universe or The Witcher.
Read more One Piece:
- One Piece creator asked for changes to live-action series
- One Piece director promises "spooky" live-action adaptation
- One Piece's Luffy and crew prepare for battle in epic final trailer
- Meet the cast of live-action One Piece on Netflix
"You're looking for that extra magical ingredient of what it's going to be like when you put them together. Because chemistry on screen is this elusive thing, isn't it?
"You can see it and you can feel it when it's on the screen, and you can feel its absence when it's not there."
One Piece is now available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our anime coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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