Summary
The One Piece live-action series on Netflix is a major event in the entertainment world, and director Emma Sullivan recognized its importance based on the excitement of her son and grandson. Emma Sullivan had to familiarize herself with One Piece’s vast trove of lore, but received support from One Piece fans such as hosts Matt Owens and Steve Maeda, as well as creator Eiichiro Oda. One Piece’s scale makes it larger in production than Emma Sullivan’s previous Doctor Who work, but she understands the importance of making it suitable for die-hard fans while also adding a touch of comedy. his own humor into the serious story.
The launch of A piece Netflix’s live-action series is undoubtedly one of the most important events to have happened in the world of television and entertainment in 2023. To achieve such an impressive effort, an incredible cast of actors. along with a team of artists and creators that have come together, including Emma Sullivan, who directed episodes 3 and 4 of the season.
As an experienced director who was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival and won numerous awards worldwide, including Best Short Film at the Edinburgh Film Festival, breakthroughs Emma Sullivan’s most recent forays into television include The Watch and Doctor Who. So she’s a great fit for the latest manga adaptation’s large-scale adventure.
Screen Rant spoke with Emma about her experience with One Piece and the challenges that come with trying to adapt it to TV, one of the world’s most popular anime and manga series. Screen Rant was delighted to talk to him about One Piece on Netflix and what fans should expect from it. Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted during the time of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes of 2023, and the program mentioned here would not have existed without the labors of screenwriters and actors in both federations.
Emma Sullivan Talks One Piece
Screen Rant: My first question is probably the one you’ve heard before. How familiar were you with One Piece before being invited to the live-action?
Emma Sullivan: I wasn’t used to it at first. But what I discovered when I talked to my son was that he read the whole thing in lockdown. When I told him there was going to be a show about rubber pirates, he said, “What??” And that reaction and that face made me realize, “Oh, this is big. This is really big.” And all of my grandsons are die-hard fans. So I was clearly told that I wasn’t allowed to mess it up.
It’s hard to keep up with such a vast trove of legends and such a long series? I’m sure your grandson and son helped you out, but is that hard?
Emma Sullivan: Very difficult. And obviously I have to understand the episodes that I’m working on. But we have Matt Owens and Steve Maeda, who are huge One Piece fans, as hosts. And obviously Oda saw the script so I went back to the manga.
I just want to see how he writes and how he paints his amazing frames. And, and I love things like the front page, they always have nice pictures of all the Straw Hat members hanging out together. And then you have fan questions in the background. So absorb as much as possible. However, I will not test me on 1000 chapters.
Of course, this isn’t your first foray into large-scale television productions following Doctor Who season 12, but how would you say your experience with One Piece compares to that?
Emma Sullivan: I mean, put simply, it’s bigger. It’s just big. The world of One Piece is amazing. Our footage was shot in Cape Town in South Africa, it’s amazing. Big. The ships are life-sized, when I saw the Baratie I was so jealous I didn’t shoot at them. But those are just massive sets, massive programs, massive IPs…
And I think it’s helpful that I’ve dealt with an IP issue that means a lot to fans in the past. You know you have to do it right; that there are so many people who are so passionate about One Piece that you want to make sure they feel you did it fairly, obviously Oda too.
Speaking of episodes you’ve directed, here are two episodes where Usopp joined the crew. This character really stands out among the many characters of the Shonen genre that One Piece belongs to, because he is a liar and a coward. And yet, he also attracted fans and actually became one of the most loved characters. What do you think of Usopp and what traits of the character did you try to highlight in your episodes?
Emma Sullivan: I think for Usopp it’s loyalty. He has a huge loyalty to Kaya, and we have the core story of what happened to him and why he wanted to be a pirate and why he wanted out. out and join Luffy’s gang. I think the whole show is about your dreams. Usopp’s dream is to go out and become a brave warrior of the sea, and Luffy is there to make everyone feel they should follow their dreams.
With Usopp, he has a generous heart. And he’s so creative and creative, and his stories are amazing. And he’s brave, even when he’s scared, and you can’t help but do the same. Plus actor Jacob is very lovely.
How much freedom did the director and writer have to change the original story?
Emma Sullivan: Just what Oda gives us, because everything is through Oda. For example, I had a scene where young Kuina and Zoro were fighting, and we shot that scene from the beginning. Oda watched it and said, “I don’t want to wear a Kendo mask. I want it to be photographed.” So we went back to Cape Town and back again. It’s better, and it’s good.
Everything goes through him. It’s an incredibly creative IP, so you’re constantly trying to make it fair and you find the most visually beautiful way to tell his story. But at the same time you have to follow the parameters of show.
This show is adapting the first part of One Piece, which has a strong comedy element and the characters in the manga basically sometimes walk and talk funny. In the live-action version, the humor does not completely disappear, but the characters and story are much more serious. Do you think the more serious element of the story should take precedence?
Emma Sullivan: I think a lot of that was decided before I got to the script written by the hosts, Matt and Steve. But to be fair, I really enjoy any humor I find because I think it gets things moving.
And I think there’s quite a bit of humour. In my episodes, it’s not exactly a comedy, but I like Zoro’s lack of directionality. He’s cool, but he doesn’t know which way he’s going and he’s got some great words. I think it’s always the balance of the tone. But obviously, I get the scripts that I’m assigned, and then I interpret them clearly as they are meant to be.
I think hopefully, even though we had this kind of horror element in mind, we still punctured it with humor and light-hearted tone.
In your episodes, there is the big confrontation with the Black Cat pirates, which in the original story happen openly. It all takes place inside a large house, almost like the setting of a haunted castle.
Emma Sullivan: Yes, and it was fun. Great sets we played with and a huge, huge building. It’s always fun to use the camera to create tension and anticipation for revelations, it’s always fun for a director to bring these genre elements into a project.
The live-action anime genre is a very complex one, as evidenced by the negative reactions to Death Note and Cowboy Bebop. Do you feel hesitant to explore this genre when you have access to One Piece? And if so, how did you overcome them?
Emma Sullivan: I watched a few of these shows and a lot of different cartoons. I’m a huge fan of Studio Ghibli, but you can’t get the actor to do those big actions and faces like we have in the anime, so it won’t work. And if we tried, it would be really awkward, and I think it would take people out of the story.
I think what we have to do is we have to find a grounded approach and we have to find an emotionally realistic approach to it. We have to touch these characters and feel what makes us think of them as an audience. I think we can all relate to following our dreams and Luffy’s positivity, especially now, all the time.
About One Piece
Based on the best-selling manga in Japanese history by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is a legendary sea adventure unlike any other. Monkey D. Luffy is a young adventurer who has been yearning for a life of freedom ever since he can remember. Luffy departs from his small village on a perilous journey to find the legendary treasure, One Piece, to become the Pirate King! But to find the ultimate prize, Luffy will need to assemble the crew he’s always wanted before finding a ship to set sail, searching every inch of the vast blue sea, far beyond the Marines. and defeat dangerous opponents at every turn.
Come back soon to see our One Piece interviews.
All 8 episodes of A piece will be available to stream on Netflix starting August 31.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
