Tomorrow Studios, the banner behind Netflix’s One Piece live-action series, is set to develop a television adaptation of the cult anime Samurai Champloo, as per US media reports.
According to American entertainment portal Variety, original series creator Shinichirō Watanabe is attached to the project. This comes after the release of the second season of One Piece on March 10.
The upcoming adaptation would mark a major milestone for producers Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements, who solidified Tomorrow Studios’ reputation for anime-to-live-action adaptations with the immense success of One Piece.
“We had dinner with [Watanabe] in Japan and said, if we move forward on doing ‘Samurai Champloo,’ we really want you to be a part of the creative,” Clements told Variety. “We were thrilled that he was willing to do that.”
The project is in early development, and Tomorrow Studios has not yet taken it out to networks, though Clements said the studio has received “a lot of incoming calls” about the title, Variety reported.
Similar to One Piece, the adaptation will aim to be faithful to the source material while adapting it for a modern audience. Since the anime’s hip-hop sound was a defining element, Clements mentioned that music will be a key part of the series and that the studio plans on roping in a popular recording artiste to shape the show’s soundtrack.
Previously, the production company adapted Watanabe’s other iconic anime Cowboy Bebop for Netflix in 2021, which was cancelled after one season.
Following its debut in 2023, Season 1 of One Piece spent eight weeks on Netflix’s Global Top 10, reached No. 1 in more than 75 countries and broke records as the first English-language Netflix series to debut at No. 1 in Japan. After surpassing 100 million views, the show now ranks among Netflix’s most downloaded series of all time.
The second season of One Piece garnered a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes after its premiere on March 10.
Released on May 20, 2004, Samurai Champloo follows Fuu, a ditzy waitress who hires two contrasting, skilled swordsmen—the reckless, hip-hop-influenced Mugen and the calm, traditionalist Jin—to help her find the “samurai who smells of sunflowers” in Edo-period Japan. After saving them from execution, they travel together on adventures in this fictionalised version of ancient Japan structured like a road movie with modern elements.
