Ian McShane Shares Reason for Joining Live-Action One Piece Series

Iconic actor, Ian McShane, reveals why he’s the narrator of Netflix’s popular live-action TV adaptation of the One Piece anime.

Golden Globe winner Ian McShane addressed his involvement in Netflix’s live-action One Piece series, where he served as the narrator in the first episode of Season 1.

During The Big Thing podcast, McShane was asked about his reaction to the show’s massive success, revealing that it was his grandson who introduced him to the long-running anime. “I tell you, I only knew about [One Piece] because one day I got a call, and they said, ‘Why don’t you do this,'” McShane said. “I thought about the people I had, and with my youngest grandson… I phoned him, I called him and asked ‘Do you know about this show?’ He went, ‘Grandad… I’ve been watching this show since I was a kid.’ He said it started off as a manga then anime and now it’s here. He said it’s great.”

Netflix’s One Piece series is created by Matt Owens and Steven Maeda. It is led by actor Iñaki Godoy as he takes on the role of Monkey D. Luffy, the energetic captain of the Straw Hats whose lifelong dream is to become the King of the Pirates. According to Season 1 director Marc Jobst, casting Luffy was the “hardest” challenge that the creative team went through. “The reason why I say he’s the hardest to cast is because that positivity can get quite irritating in film, and he [Godoy] never did, I don’t feel,” Jobst said. “He just emanated warmth and goodwill.”

What’s Next for the Straw Hat Pirates in Season 2

Joining Godoy are Mackenyu as Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Taz Skyler as Sanji, and Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp. Season 1 ends with Luffy getting his first bounty poster after defeating Arlong and his crew. The next installment will see the Straw Hats finally crossing the treacherous Grand Line, where they’ll meet lots of interesting new characters along the way, including the sixth member of their crew. Before that, they are expected to stop by Loguetown first, where they’ll meet a powerful Marine captain.

Last October, Owens revealed that they haven’t started casting for One Piece’s second season since they’re still in the early stages of development. “No one’s been cast yet not only because of both strikes going on, but we were still early in the process; we weren’t beyond talking about potential, digging into the characters, talking about who they are, maybe coming up with a couple of comps,” he clarified. “But no, we had not gotten into any actual casting yet for Season 2.”

As for the main theme of One Piece Season 2, Owens confirmed that the story will focus on Luffy’s leadership, teasing the challenges he will have to face for the sake of his friends. “From Luffy’s perspective, he’s got his crew now, and they are setting out to the Grand Line,” he continued. “They’re doing the thing, and there are a lot of challenges that come with that responsibility. And that theme ties into some other stories and characters that I won’t give away just yet.”

One Piece Season 1 is available on Netflix.