One Piece is now in the works on its third season of the live-action series with Netflix, and one of the showrunners behind it all is teasing the biggest new character we’ll get in the Alabasta arc. One Piece: The Battle of Alabasta is the official name for the third season of the series, and like the new title suggests, it will be adapting the Alabasta saga of Eiichiro Oda’s original manga series. It’s going to feature a ton of new characters with this new location, and many of them are fan favorites even after all these years.
With Luffy and the Straw Hats heading to Princess Vivi’s homeland as teased by the final episode of the second season, there are some brand new members of Baroque Works who will be making their highly anticipated debuts as well. This includes Cole Escola joining the live-action series as Bon Clay, and One Piece showrunner Joe Tracz teased their debut while speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, “Bon Clay is just the perfect role for them.”
“I love Cole. In 2011, we worked on a theater project together,” Tracz began when asked about new members of the One Piece cast they’re excited to see in the third season. “They did a reading of mine, and they’ve been someone whom I always wanted to work with again. Like with Katey and with David, it’s how do I get Cole into something? Bon Clay is just the perfect role for them. Obviously, we’re talking season three, and that casting is already out there, but I just want to say that I can’t wait until people can see Cole’s version of Bon Clay.”
Bon Clay is one of the major characters that the Alabasta Arc shines a light on, and Escola was the first new addition to the live-action cast when production on the third season began. This further emphasizes how big of a character Bon Clay is for the franchise, and they have remained one of the major favorites even after all this time. If the live-action series continues to be as faithful to Eiichiro Oda’s original as they have been so far, Bon Clay is likely going to be a hit.
One Piece: The Battle of Alabasta is now in the works for a release with Netflix sometime next year, but has yet to confirm a proper release date as of the time of this writing. It will be adapting the Alabasta arc from Eiichiro Oda’s original manga series, and will feature Cole Escola as Bon Clay alongside Xolo Maridueña as Portgas D. Ace, Awdo Awdo as Mr. 1, and Daisy Head as Miss Doublefinger. But there are still many other characters who have yet to be revealed.
Though those behind the scenes are hoping to see the live-action series go on for much longer, Netflix themselves have yet to reveal any potential plans for a fourth season. But with this third season releasing so soon after the second season, it could be a step in the right direction to get much more of the story in this live-action form.
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