They’re Really Doing This Cowboy Bebop Live-Action Thing
Discussions about a live-action adaptation of classic anime series Cowboy Bebop have been around for ages, since Bandai Entertainment finished releasing the series on DVD back in 2000. It was one of the key franchises responsible for expanding the popularity of Japanese anime in western territories, beyond those airing on TV at the time. It was to the point that even notable Hollywood names like Keanu Reeves noticed the series, who wanted to star in a movie adaptation that was in limbo and subsequently canned nearly a decade ago. Now, news broke last night confirming that this kind of adaptation will actually happen after all, though the method of distribution has changed.
Netflix confirmed plans to adapt the anime into a live-action series, which will perhaps tentatively span ten episodes. No one saw this announcement coming, and the internet reacted accordingly on social media by trying to find TV franchise that comes close to matching Cowboy Bebop in terms of style and substance. The closest of them was Starhunter 2300, with Firefly coming in a distant second. There are also understandably questions about whether it will even be worth the effort.
I see two possibilities here. The first is that the series won’t be any good, because there are several scenes that will either be difficult to replicate or flat-out won’t work in live-action. Recreating some outer space aspects could cost money Netflix may not want to spend. Whether they can craft new scenarios to replace them will depend on whether a good crop of writers and directors will be working on it. Christopher Yost, a key writer on Thor: Ragnarok, is penning the first episode, and anime series creator and director Shinichiro Watanabe will work as a consultant, so they very well could have the talent.
This runs into the second possibility, regarding how the series could be good, but could also fall short of the original. There’s a 50-percent chance of either scenario happening, though I’ll naturally prefer it if the latter comes to pass.
This announcement fittingly happened in Cowboy Bebop’s 20th anniversary year, but the best we can hope for is if the team at least comes close to matching the original — however unlikely. If it doesn’t turn out well, then I think it’s time we blow this anime adaptation scene before they get anything else, unless Alita: Battle Angel is mind-blowingly good.
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Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
