Netflix has yet to officially announced a third season of its hit live-action One Piece series. In fact, the streamer just revealed that Season 2 won't be releasing until 2026. But it sounds like its all systems go for the series, with reports that pre-production has already begun on Season 3.
Fans have noted that crew members have started returning to Cap Town, South Africa, where One Piece is filmed, as pre-production is believed to be underway. Fans spotted an art director who had worked on Season 2 posted that they were flying to Cape Town again.
"Last time, this person flew to [South Africa] in Jan. 2024, and filming started in June 2024," the fan notes. "Them flying to [South Africa] now points to Season 3 filming starting around Nov 2025."
Again, while Netflix has not announced anything official, a November start date for filming does align with comments made by actual cast members. If you recall, last month actor Joe Manganiello, who plays Mr. O (a.k.a. Crocodile), hinted that work on Season 3 will begin this year.
"We've taken a break between season two and season three, so yeah, I'll be heading back later on this year, and we'll be working on the next part of the story," Manganiello revealed in May. "So that's about all I could say."
Manganiello's comments came on the heels of Roronoa Zoro actor Mackenyu also seemingly confirming work on Season 3. In a wide-ranging interview with Crunchyroll back in February, Mackenyu was asked about future projects which is when he mentioned a third season.
"The next project is going to be One Piece Season 2. We do have projects lined up for this year before we shoot Season 3 of One Piece, but I can’t tell you anything about that, so it’s not going to be fun for y’all," he said.
The One Piece live-action adaptation debuted on Netflix on August 31, 2023. It was officially renewed for a second season just two weeks after it premiered, with filming on the second season beginning in June 2024 and concluding in February 2025. It was though that Season 2 would be ready to go later this year, but at Tudum, Netflix confirmed a 2026 release window.
If the rumors are true and production has already started on Season 3, despite no official word from Netflix, then this hopefully means that the wait between seasons won't be nearly as long this time.