One Piece fans outside of Japan will get to see Luffy's latest adventure on the big screen.
Toei Animation and Crunchyroll announced that they will give One Piece Film Red a theatrical release in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The movie will be released with both its original Japanese audio with subtitles, as well as a new English dub, when it arrives at movie theaters this fall. The two companies' announcement also teases that they will have more to reveal about the new film at this year's Anime Expo, which will feature a panel dedicated to the movie. The panel will feature appearances from series producer Shinji Shimizu, English voice actors Brandon Potter (Shanks) and Ian Sinclair (Brooks), as well as ADR director Anthony Bowling. The convention will also host a One Piece concert with a performance by DJ Steve Aoki.
"We’re excited to bring One Piece Film Red to theaters around the world this fall, which actually coincides with the 23rd anniversary of the One Piece franchise," said Masayuki Endo,Toei Animation Inc.'s president and CEO. "This new film from creator Eiichiro Oda will truly captivate fans in a thrilling new adventure with the Straws Hats that features the debut of Uta – a mysterious new character in the world of One Piece."
One Piece Film Red sees the Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirate crew traveling to a new island in order to attend a famous music festival. There they run into the popular singer Uta, who was revealed by an earlier trailer to be the estranged daughter of Red-Haired Shanks, the charasmatic ship captain who originally gave Luffy his trademark straw hat and inspired the young boy to take up the life of a pirate. In addition to a new story that delves into Shanks' past, the movie will feature new costumes for the Straw Hat crew that blend traditional pirate gear with punk rock-inspired fashion that fits the musical theme of the film.
Since it's debut in 1997, Eiichiro Oda's One Piece has managed to become the best-selling manga in history, with over 500 million copies in circulation around the world. While the series has remained extremely popular, Oda recently confirmed that Luffy's quarter-century of adventures is finally nearing its end, as the series' next saga will be its last. The manga recently wrapped up the long-running Wano Country arc and will go on a one-month hiatus while Oda plans out the the series' finale.
Source: Toei Animation
