Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Season 3 casts Tony winner as fan-favorite Bon Clay, and we can’t handle it
Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ is setting sail once again, and the live-action phenomenon has just added a flamboyant new face to its crew. Tony Award-winning performer Cole Escola (‘Oh Mary!,’ ‘At Home with Amy Sedaris’) has officially joined the cast of Season 3 as the iconic Bon Clay, also known as Bentham or Mr. 2 Bon Kurei. This marks the first major casting announcement for the third season. Escola’s casting brings to life one of ‘One Piece’s’ most beloved and eccentric characters: a high-energy martial artist whose flair for drama matches their deadly precision.
Bon Clay is a shapeshifting assassin and performer with a swan-inspired aesthetic, known in the manga for blurring the line between comedy and combat. While they begin as an adversary to Luffy and his Straw Hat crew, Bon Clay’s courage and loyalty later make them one of the saga’s most surprising allies. Season 3 of the hit live-action series will begin filming later this year in Cape Town, South Africa, with production ramping up as Netflix eyes another global breakout. The creative team has reimagined Bon Clay as non-binary, as reported by Deadline.
Based on the long-running manga by Eiichiro Oda, ‘One Piece’ follows Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) and his ragtag crew: Roronoa Zoro (Mackenyu), Nami (Emily Rudd), Usopp (Jacob Romero), and Sanji (Taz Skylar). With his gang, Luffy voyage across treacherous seas in search of the ultimate treasure, the “One Piece,” and the dream of becoming King of the Pirates. Season 3 will once again be co-run by Ian Stokes and Joe Tracz, who also serve as writers and executive producers.
Returning producers include Oda himself, along with Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Tetsu Fujimura, Chris Symes, Christoph Schrewe, and Steven Maeda under the Tomorrow Studios and Shueisha partnership. According to Variety, Netflix renewed ‘One Piece’ for a third season back in August. The renewal came months ahead of the Season 2 premiere (‘One Piece: Into the Grand Line’), slated for March 10, 2026. The live-action adaptation launched in 2023 to massive success, topping Netflix’s Global Top 10 for eight consecutive weeks. It also hit No. 1 in more than 75 countries, including Japan, which was a first for an English-language Netflix original.
With nearly 100 million views worldwide and 11 Children’s & Family Emmy nominations, the series has cemented itself as one of the streamer’s biggest hits ever. For Escola, this marks another milestone after their well-received Broadway debut ‘Oh Mary!,’ which earned them a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor. The play, set to transfer to London’s West End following its extended Broadway run, has made Escola one of theater’s most distinctive comedic voices. With Bon Clay’s arrival, ‘One Piece’ Season 3 is going to bring heart, humor, and high-seas chaos like never before, and fans are already ready to say it: “Okama Way!”
