David Dastmalchian Addresses His 'One Piece' Future After Being "Honored" to Join Season 2 [Exclusive]

Season 2 of Netflix's live-action One Piece adaptation has officially left port, and despite a massive expansion to tackle much more of Eiichiro Oda's colorful and creative world of pirates, it hasn't missed a step in the eyes of critics and audiences. The show's return, subtitled Into the Grand Line, takes Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) and the Straw Hat Pirates into the titular vast, open ocean, where wonder, fortune, and danger await. Among the greatest threats that fans of the original manga and anime have been waiting for with this new arc are the Baroque Works agents, led by Mr. 0, aka Crocodile (Joe Manganiello). Horror icon David Dastmalchian feels quite fortunate to count himself among the criminal syndicate's ranks as a very manga-accurate Mr. 3, though this may just be the beginning for him.

The members of Baroque Works remain a part of One Piece's story long past the Straw Hats' first adventures in the Grand Line and the upcoming Alabasta arc that Season 3 will cover. Netflix's series makes some changes, but it's hard to imagine any of these stars not remaining around for the long haul. At the very least, the end of Season 2, with the first proper look at Crocodile, teases that the war against the assassins is only just beginning. During an interview with Collider's Perri Nemiroff for his new film Sender at SXSW, Dastmalchian was asked about his future, specifically, though he couldn't divulge any details yet. He could, however, reaffirm how much of an honor it was to be a part of this world-famous story and share a little story about nerding out with his Sender co-star and fellow horror legend Jamie Lee Curtis about all things One Piece.

"I don't know what I can say. But it's connected to Sender, because when I first talked to Jamie, who's a hero to me, she was like, 'We're making this really cool movie and you're going to love this director. Come and read the script and be a part of this.' I was like, 'I'm so excited!' But my son was in the car with me when we were on the phone on speaker, and we start talking about One Piece, and we went off because she's a big One Piece fan, and now I get to be a part of that world. I'm so honored and thrilled and privileged to get to be a part of bringing one of the greatest mangas ever written to life. So, thank you."

'Sender' Finally Unites Dastmalchian and Curtis On-Screen

Curtis and Dastmalchian nearly also shared the screen in One Piece. Both the Oscar winner and fans were enthusiastic about the idea of her playing Dr. Kureha in the adaptation, but scheduling conflicts ultimately meant that Futurama and Sons of Anarchy star Katey Sagal landed the part. With Season 3 already ordered and in production, and the show becoming one of Netflix's standouts and a gold standard among anime and manga adaptations, however, there may be an opportunity to come aboard the Going Merry at a later date. In the meantime, the psychological thriller Sender serves as a fitting collaboration for the pair.

Directed by Russell Goldman in his feature debut based on his 2022 short Return to Sender, the film casts Severance breakout star Britt Lower as Julia, a woman seeking a fresh start in a suburban rental after being fired. She starts ordering a host of new items to make her new space feel like her home, but things get strange when packages she never purchased start showing up at her door. Even creepier, each item feels so undeniably tied to her past that she starts fearing someone is stalking her. The increasing paranoia drives her down a rabbit hole to try to figure out who the sender is and why they keep disturbing her attempts at starting over. Curtis produces, while Rhea Seehorn, Anna Baryshnikov, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Mike Mitchell round out the cast.

One Piece Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix. Stay tuned here at Collider for more coverage throughout the rest of SXSW.