With the second season of One Piece live-action going into production, fans of the epic series have been surprised as the creators have announced new actors who are going to join the cast soon. These actors have already been assigned their roles, and now only the major characters from the Alabasta saga are left to be revealed.
One of these characters is Luffy’s older brother and the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Portgas D. Ace. While there has been no hint from the officials about who could play the role of Ace, Peruvian actor Mario Cortijo might have actually spilled the beans on this one during an interview.
While Cortijo is not the one who has been asked to portray Ace in One Piece live-action, his friend Xolo Maridueña, who has worked in the popular Netflix series Cobra Kai, might be chosen by the showrunners as the actor to play Luffy’s brother in the live-action season 2.
Mario Cortijo Revealed Xolo Maridueña Might Play Ace in One Piece Live-Action
Cortijo, who is known for the role of Julio Ganoza in the television series De Vuelta al Barrio, was recently featured on a podcast/interview by Carlos Orozco. During the discussion, while talking about people typecasting roles with the actor’s background, Cortijo let the cat out of the bag about Maridueña joining One Piece live-action season 2.
Cortijo stated:
“This is to prevent people who think that just because I look like a character or I’m from the same place that I should be cast. Like in One Piece, season two is coming out. They’re [the actor] Lucas Amorim who fans are obsessed with saying he should be Ace because he’s Brazilian who’s actually played by Xolo Mariduena who is Mexican. He’s going to play a Brazilian character,”
Later on, when he realized that this was not public news, Cortijo redacted his statement by saying:
“Oh, then I shouldn’t have said that,”
Although Maridueña would be the perfect actor to play the role of Portgas D. Ace in One Piece live-action season 2, nothing has been confirmed by Netflix or the showrunners of the series. Fans may still need to wait a little bit before they get any kind of solid news about the series, or other major characters.
Is Xolo Maridueña the Perfect Actor To Play Ace?
Xolo Maridueña’s Hollywood journey has been quite decent, as he has been in the industry since he was sixteen. He started his journey by modeling for the Seers Catalog, and from there he went to work in Cobra Kai, where he played the role of Miguel Díaz, the protagonist of the series. He has also worked in other prominent series.
However, his acting journey skyrocketed when he starred in the 2023 DC Superhero movie, Blue Beetle. He portrayed the role of Jaime Reyes, the Blue Beetle. Considering his past experiences and journey, Maridueña might be the best choice to play the role of Ace in One Piece live-action season 2.
Ace’s cameo during the Alabasta saga might only be for a short while, but his character holds major importance in the future narratives of the story. Thus, the showrunners need to pick the perfect actor who could do justice to the role of Luffy’s elder brother in One Piece.
You can watch One Piece live-action and Cobra Kai on Netflix.
