Netflix’s One Piece Always Knew Joe Manganiello Would Be Crocodile

One Piece is now in the works on Season 2 of the live-action series with Netflix, and the showrunner behind it all only had Joe Manganiello in mind for the role of Mr. 0, otherwise known as Sir Crocodile. One Piece has been in the midst of filming Season 2 of the live-action series since earlier this year, and fans have been getting a steady flow of updates about what and who to expect to see in the coming episodes. This includes the reveal of some of the huge foes coming in Monkey D. Luffy’s future like Crocodile, who has been recently cast. 

Netflix’s One Piece Season 2 will feature Joe Manganiello (Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Magic Mike XXL) in the role of Crocodile, and a special video featuring showrunner Matt Owens released by Netflix reveals that Owens wanted Manganiello from the beginning. During the video, Owens tells Manganiello that he was the “first person, the only person in my mind to do this.” And from the kinds of research that Manganiello details about his time with the role thus far, and his excitement with fans, Manganiello will indeed be the perfect choice. 

How Much Manganiello Has Researched Into Crocodile

“I have like tables and chairs full of all these different versions of Crocodile to look at while I’m going through this material. But I mean, for me, a lot of it is, it has to be real,” Manganiello began when detailing how much research he’s done into his new role for One Piece. “And especially when you’re playing a character that people want to call a ‘villain,’ it’s like, well, he just has different intentions. And a different path than some of the other characters.” But through his research, Manganiello also came to a new realization about the kind of character Crocodile is. 

“But what I found, he is this flip side of the coin from Luffy. Potentially,” Manganiello explained. “He represents this dark potential future for Luffy. If he’s affected or allows the trauma of defeat to infect him the way it was for me, and I think that there’s a part of Crocodile that wants everyone to suffer the way he did after Whitebeard, or with the disappointment of not becoming the King of the Pirates and letting that go. And of course, not trusting your friends.” But Manganiello is ready to get started and explore more of his character. 

What Will Crocodile Do in One Piece Season 2

“You know, I just want to do the best job that I possibly can, to honor all those fans, and Oda, and [Owens], and everybody that’s brought this show to life and kept it alive for 25 years and made it what it is. I’m just excited to get to Alabasta and get to work,” Manganiello teased as he and the rest of the cast get ready for their part of the work. But there’s also a crucial tease here as Manganiello is also teasing the famous Alabasta location, and that’s something that might only be seen briefly in what’s to come in Season 2. 

One Piece series creator Eiichiro Oda previously confirmed that the new episodes will be adapting the Loguetown, Reverse Mountain (Twin Cape), Whiskey Peak, Little Garden, and Drum Island arcs from the original manga, and the Alabasta saga doesn’t kick in until after each of these arcs. But if it’s like the first season of the live-action series, there’s a chance we’ll get to see at least some of Alabasta in action before the Straw Hats land there.