We finally know who will play a major role in the upcoming season of ‘One Piece’
With the Netflix series One Piece slated to return for a second season in 2025, the question on everyone’s minds is whether Jamie Lee Curtis will step into the role of Kureha. On August 20, 2024, we finally got our answer.
In case you hadn’t heard, Curtis was linked to the show, which is a live action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s wildly popular manga series, ever since she dropped a big hint on the red carpet before the 2022 Academy Awards. Speaking with TikTok hosts Emily Uribe and Juju Green, Curtis gushed about how much she enjoys watching both the original manga and the live action Netflix One Piece series. When asked which character she could see herself playing, the veteran actress admitted she’s probably not the right age to play Nico Robin, her first pick, but Kureha might work.
“Maybe I can be Kureha,” said Curtis. “She wears those really low bellbottoms. She’s looking a little nasty. But she has the long, kind of stringy gray hair. My [daughter] Ruby said that that would be what I would play.”
The character of Kureha will be introduced in season 2. She’s a doctor on Drum Island, the head of the Isshi-100, and an ally of the Straw Hat Pirates. While One Piece fans were pulling for the rumors to come true, on July 19 Tomorrow Studios CEO and ITV Studios president Becky Clements informed Deadline that sadly, Curtis will not be joining the cast for season 2 at this time due to scheduling conflicts.
Who will play Kureha?
According to Deadline, the role of Kureha will be played by Sons of Anarchy and Futurama star Katey Sagal. Mark Harelik (Presumed Innocent, Election) will also join the cast as Dr. Hiriluk. These two actors join previously announced new additions Brendan Sean Murray as Brogy, Callum Kerr as Smoker, Camrus Johnson as Mr. 5, Clive Russell as Crocus, Daniel Lasker as Mr. 9, David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3, Jazzara Jaslyn as Miss Valentine, Julia Rehwald as Tashigi, Rob Colletti as Wapol, Ty Keogh as Dalton, and Werner Coetser as Dorry.
On August 21, Curtis shared news of Sagal and Harelik on her Instagram page with the caption, “BRAVO.”
About One Piece
One Piece is a fantasy adventure developed for Netflix from Oda’s manga series by Matt Owens and Steven Maeda. Oda is also a creative consultant for the new series, and it is produced by Kaji Productions and Shueisha, who also publishes the manga. Season 1 premiered on August 31, 2023, to rave reviews and went on to become one of the streamer’s most-watched shows of the year. It was renewed for a second season just two weeks into its run.
The action follows the Straw Hat Pirates as they embark on a quest to find the “One Piece,” a precious treasure that could elevate their captain, Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) to the “king of the pirates.” Other cast members include Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji.
When will One Piece season 2 premiere?
The series is currently filming on location in Cape Town, South Africa, and production is expected to continue through the end of the year. That means the series will likely be released in the summer of 2025, but an exact date is not yet available. Until then, you can catch up on all episodes of One Piece on Netflix.
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