Netflix One Piece Co-Showrunner Stepping Down to Focus on Mental Health

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Netflix One Piece Co-Showrunner Stepping Down to Focus on Mental Health

Matt Owens, one of the co-showrunners for the Netflix One Piece series, is stepping down from the show, leaving the series as he aims to focus on his mental health.

Why is the One Piece co-showrunner stepping down?

In a recent Instagram post shared on Friday, Owens confirmed he was leaving the series “to focus on myself and my mental health,” and that while the last six years making the show has been “a dream come true,” it has also been “a lot” for him.

“The last six years of working on the live action One Piece have been a life changing journey. A dream come true,” Owens’ post reads. “It’s also been A LOT. So I’m stepping off the Going Merry. … Thank you so much to [series creator Eiichiro] Oda, [publisher] Shueisha, Tomorrow Studios, Netflix, and the entire cast and crew for your trust, partnership, and hard work. For now I’m gonna take a breath, do some therapy, try and rank up in Marvel Rivals, and come back refreshed for the new adventures that await. Thanks to everyone who has supported me. See you real soon!”

Owens has been with the live-action adaptation ever since its inception, and his love for the series has been something fans point to as to why the show was as well received as it was. Owens was co-showrunner for Season 1 alongside Steven Maeda (who remains involved as an executive producer) as well as Season 2 alongside Joe Tracz.

Tracz will continue to oversee production on the series, which is currently in post-production, according to a report from THR. In response to the move, the official One Piece Instagram wrote a heartfelt reply to Owens, noting that he “set us on a course for something truly special.”

Prior to his time with the One Piece series, Owens was also a writer on the ABC Marvel series Agents of SHIELD, as well as on Netflix’s Luke Cage series.

Currently, there is no official release date for One Piece Season 2.