‘One Piece’ executive producer Matt Owens leaves the series to focus on mental health
Co-showrunner and executive producer Matt Owens has announced his departure from the Netflix series One Piece following the conclusion of production on season two of the live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s popular manga series.
The producer, who was essential in getting the live-action pirate series off the ground, shared a statement on Instagram, revealing his choice to leave the show.
“The 6 years working on the live-action One Piece has been a life-changing journey,” he wrote. “A dream come true. It’s also been A LOT. So I’m stepping off the Going Merry to take a break and focus on myself and my mental health.”
One Piece debuted as a manga strip in Weekly Shōnen Jump back in 1997 and has since gone on to spawn an extensive anime series, 14 feature-length films, multiple video games, and an extensive merchandising empire. It was only a matter of time before a live-action series was developed, and Matt Owens has been on board the project since the very beginning.
Development on the live-action One Piece began all the way back in 2017, but it was purchased by Netflix in 2020. Co-showrunner and producer Steven Maeda was brought on board in 2021 alongside Owens.
Netflix released the first series, comprising eight episodes, in August 2023 and, unlike other live-action adaptations of popular manga series, the show received a positive reception from fans. Filming for season two concluded around the end of 2024, although it has yet to be given a formal release date.
It is unclear, at the time of writing, whether Owens’ departure from the show will impact its chances of being recommissioned for a third series. However, the Writer’s Guild of America already cite One Piece season three as being in production currently.