The “One Piece” live-action series at Netflix is bringing in Joe Tracz to serve as its new co-showrunner for Season 2.
Tracz will helm the popular series based on the Eiichiro Oda manga of the same name alongside Season 1 co-showrunner, writer, and executive producer Matt Owens. Steven Maeda, who developed the series with Owens and was co-showrunner on Season 1, will step down but continue to serve as an executive producer on the series.
“Joe has brought a wealth of enthusiasm and experience into our second season that will help take ‘One Piece’ to new heights,” Owens said. “We’re incredibly lucky to have him as a co-captain of this ship. The best crew on the seas grows larger!”
Tracz most recently worked as a writer and co-executive producer on the Disney+ series adaptation of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” He previously created the Netflix series “Dash & Lily” in addition to serving as showrunner. He also worked on the Netflix series version of “A Series of Unfortunate Events” as a writer and producer.
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He is repped by WME, Mosaic, and Hansen Jacobson.
“I’ve been lucky to work on big adaptations of several beloved series, and they don’t come bigger or more beloved than ‘One Piece,’” said Tracz. “I’m a huge fan of Oda-san’s incredible imagination and I was blown away by what the live-action team created in Season One. So it’s a dream and a joy to come aboard the Going Merry as it enters the Grand Line for an even more giant Season Two.”
“One Piece” debuted on Netflix in August 2023 and was quickly renewed for a second season. The show proved highly popular with audiences, spending eight weeks in Netflix’s Global Top 10 rankings and debuting at the number one spot in 46 countries.
Iñaki Godoy stars in the series Monkey D. Luffy, who sails the world with his ragtag crew in search of the mythical One Piece treasure to become the King of the Pirates. Mackenyu, Emily Rudd, Jacob Romero, and Taz Skylar also star.
Owens and Tracz serve as writers, co-showrunners, and executive producers on Season 2. Oda and Maeda also executive produce along with Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements of Tomorrow Studios, Tetsu Fujimura, and Chris Symes. The series is created in partnership with Shueisha and produced by Tomorrow Studios (an ITV Studios partner) and Netflix.