Netflix has finally unveiled the first footage for its upcoming live-action adaptation of the seminal anime Cowboy Bebop during its Geeked Week fan event, giving fans a look at the cast of Cowboy Bebop, including John Cho as the bounty hunter Spike Spiegel.
Netflix's Cowboy Bebop is developed by André Nemec (Alias, Without Remorse) and Jeff Pinkner (Fringe, Alias), and written by Christopher Yost (Thor: Ragnarok, The Mandalorian). In addition to Cho's Spike, Cowboy Bebop is set to star Daniella Pineda as Faye Valentine, Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black, Alex Hassell as Vicious, Elena Satine as Julia, and an adorable Corgi as Ein.
Cowboy Bebop has a lot of skepticism to overcome in order to win fans over. It's already nearly impossible to do a good live-action adaptation of an anime property, but to try and adapt such an influential anime as Cowboy Bebop, which helped introduce anime to millions of viewers in the West? It's almost as hard a task as it is for the crew of the titular Bebop to actually collect a bounty. The original 26-episode show by Shinichirō Watanabe helped popularize the medium in the West thanks to its near-perfect blend of influences that drew from everything from Japanese anime and classic Western movies, to Blade Runner and Star Wars. And, of course, there is also the incredible jazz-inspired soundtrack by Yoko Kanno and Seatbelts.
Still, the Netflix live-action adaptation is already doing plenty of good choices, like the pitch-perfect casting of Cho as Spike. As Spike would say, "Whatever happens, happens."
The short teaser confirms the cast of the Cowboy Bebop show, plus confirms that the legendary Yoko Kanno will return to compose new and original music for the live-action series. Though there was no specific release date announced, the teaser also confirmed a fall release for the highly anticipated series.
Cowboy Bebop doesn't have a specific release date yet, but we'll be sure to keep you informed as more information drops before the show premieres this fall. See you, space cowboy.