“See you soon, space cowboy…”
The wait for Netflix’s Live-Action take on one of the most loved and acclaimed anime series ever, has been a difficult one, to say the least. The original announcement of it being aired on Netflix dates back almost a year and a half ago, and a noticeable lack of new information on the show has led many fans to worry about the chances of this project ever seeing the light of day.
However, while there has been a substantial delay in the development of this project due to on-set injuries to lead star John Cho, and inevitably the global crisis that we are enduring recently, there is reason to be excited nonetheless. Unlike most projects in development limbo, we do know quite a bit about Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop.
What is Cowboy Bebop?
With the Japanese manga, illustratd by Cain Kuga, debuting in 1997-1998 in Monthly Asuka Fantasy DX, it soon became so popular that it eventually got it’s own anime series and became an instant classic. The reason for Cowboy Bebop’s amazing success is due to its unique Blade-Runner like feel to its world, as well as its deep, multifaceted characters that have many different beliefs and lifestyles. It’s not hard to understand why over 20 years after its release, still so many fans consider Cowboy Bebop to be the greatest anime of all time.
Who Is The Cast?
Leading the forefront of this group is star actor John Cho. He will be playing as the cool and collected bounty hunter, Spike Spiegel. You may recognize Cho from the revamped Star Trek series as well as Harold & Kumar. Playing the role of Spike’s grouchy partner, Jet Black, is Mustafa Shakir. Recently portrayed as the villain in Luke Cage’s season 2, Mustafa has not been in too many high profile roles, but looks to be ready to go for this one. As the villain, Alex Hassel is cast as Viscious. Finally, rounding out the group is Daniella Pineda, playing the wanted criminal Faye Valentine.
How Many Episodes and Seasons?
Well we know that Netflix has ordered for a 10 episode season. As far as plans for a second season, we’ll have to see. The anime only had one season, so it’s safe to assume that its live-action mini-series counterpart would follow suit.
When is the release date?
Unfortunately, as a result of the delays mentioned earlier, a 2020 release is almost certainly out of the question. A late 2021 to an early 2022 release seems most likely to happen.
The importance of Cowboy Bebop to fans of the source material is something that has no doubt been discussed by the directors and writers of this show. We want the shows and movies we love to be treated right, but so do the people making this show. We hope that everything will turn out great in the end, but with so much uncertainty, it’s only natural to be skeptical.
What do you guys think? Do you like the cast? Do you believe this show is still happening? Have you even watched Cowboy Bebop? Let us know down below, and thanks for reading!
