Luffy's Straw Hat Pirates Spotlighted In LEGO One Piece Key Art (Exclusive)
As a graduate of Columbia University in New York City, Tatiana studied theater and comparative literature. She has been passionate about all manner of storytelling from Jane Austen adaptations to anime. Aside from writing for Screen Rant, she co-hosts podcasts: The Flash Podcast and Ladies With Gumption.
Before Netflix drops the official LEGO One Piece trailer tomorrow, ScreenRant has an exclusive first look at the two-part miniseries' key art. Despite already being one of the most popular anime of all time, One Piece has gained even more global recognition since the debut of the live-action series, which opened the door to new fans while offering longtime viewers a fresh perspective on the classic story. Soon, they will see the Straw Hat Pirates through yet another's eyes.
LEGO One Piece showrunner, writer, and executive producer Tom Hyndman was already part of the live-action writers' room when he joined forces with LEGO for this bite-sized reimagining of One Piece seasons 1 and 2. Only this time, Usopp serves as the narrator — unreliable though he may be — and takes viewers through what he considers to be the definitive events of the story. While the characters may look different, thanks to their LEGO designs, they all sound familiar because the live-action actors have lent their voices to the series.
Hydnman shared his take on the poster's significance while speaking to ScreenRant, revealing that the goal was to "show the fun and adventure" of the two-part project. Each crew member gets their moment to shine — including Chopper, though he is merely a spectator to Usopp's dramatic license before he is introduced to the proceedings.
"We have Luffy pulling down on the Going Merry sail, indicating that the adventure is just beginning," he continued, "and showing everybody in their LEGO form was a big part of it." Perhaps the most fascinating tease he dropped, however, was relating to everyone's favorite newspaper-carrying bird, who appears in the top right corner of the key art. "The News Coo shockingly plays a large role in the episodes as a transition piece for us."
LEGO One Piece premieres September 29 on Netflix.