One Piece showrunner says Oda stepped in after Netflix cut budget
Steve Maeda said a new Netflix executive halved the budget and trimmed the season to eight episodes before Eiichiro Oda intervened.
Steve Maeda, showrunner of Netflix's live-action One Piece, said Eiichiro Oda intervened to secure proper support for the adaptation after the streamer demanded a smaller budget and a shorter season. Maeda made the remarks on the Trash Taste Podcast, according to collider.com.
Maeda said the series was initially ordered as a 10-episode season. A new Netflix executive then required the budget to be cut roughly in half and the season reduced to eight episodes.
The change forced the writing to be redone across roughly three versions, Maeda said, with about two years needed to finish eight scripts. He said the show only received proper support after Oda, the One Piece creator, intervened.
An ongoing franchise
Oda first released One Piece in 1997, and the manga remains ongoing, with 115 volumes published in Japanese and 114 in English. Netflix's live-action One Piece has already been greenlit for a third season.
The franchise extends beyond the live-action series: a LEGO spin-off of One Piece has been released, and a remake of the anime is set to come out next year.
Quick answers
What did Steve Maeda say about Netflix's One Piece budget?
Maeda said a new Netflix executive required the budget to be cut roughly in half and the season reduced from 10 episodes to eight, and that the show only got proper support after Eiichiro Oda intervened.
Where did Steve Maeda make these comments?
On the Trash Taste Podcast, as reported by collider.com.
Will there be a third season of Netflix's One Piece?
Yes, the live-action series has been greenlit for a third season, though no release date has been announced.