Everything we know about Cowboy Bebop (so far)

Cowboy Bebop is gearing up for a live-action Netflix series and because we can’t contain our excitement, here’s everything we know about the futuristic work of art.

When Netflix made the announcement that it would develop the most influential anime of all time as a live-action series, Cowboy Bebop fans everywhere were elated to know the idea of the anime would live on to introduce it to an even bigger audience. Despite being a 26-episode series, it changed the art of storytelling and inspired countless others due to its massively successful originality and exploration of humanity.

Bebop has certainly proven itself as an unforgettable series and contribution to pop culture, so naturally, it only made sense that a studio would want to further explore it. With being such a highly regarded series there is pressure and expectations from the fans that embraced Bebop. From what we know so far it’s very well-known to the creative team behind the series and, to us, that suggests it’s safe to get excited.

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The core characters are present

Obviously, Cowboy Bebop wouldn’t be the same without its resident bounty hunters and one of the first official confirmations brought some clarity. The primary and iconic character Spike would be played by the well-versed John Cho and the enigma of Faye Valentine portrayed by Daniella Pineda. We also learned that Jet will be played by Mustafa Shakir, with Alex Hassell as the antagonist Vicious, and finally, Elena Satine bringing the layered character Julia to life. Netflix has also confirmed that a corgi will be featured to fill the role of the adorable canine Ein, so everyone is accounted for with the exception of hacker genius Ed. With everyone key being cast so far, it most likely means Ed will come in later much like the anime, so time will tell if or when Ed is announced.

A focus on the source material

It’s hard to imagine any semblance of Cowboy Bebop without trying to recreate the magic that Shinichiro Watanabe created. With the core characters being a key element as mentioned above, the next essential component comes from the incomparable atmosphere that made it feel so unique.

With a blend of genres, Cowboy Bebop created its own lane and from what Cho has recently implied, we can expect there to be several nods to the anime. The actor praised the series risky tactics and believes that from what he’s seen, he’s pleased with the direction the live-action version will take.

Filming is on pause while John Cho recovers

Filming was announced in October 2019, and while still in the early stages of production, Cho, unfortunately, suffered from a knee injury that required surgery. Shortly after, it was confirmed that the series would take a seven- to nine-month break.

That time frame could change given Cho’s recovery, but that would insinuate that we won’t likely be seeing the adaptation until 2021 or later just to be on the safe side. Bebop is slated as a 10-episode season, so it’s still very likely that the break could provide a little more time to continue developing the highly-anticipated series.

Cowboy Bebop (the anime) is currently available to stream on Funimation and Hulu, so make sure to check it out ahead of the Netflix adaptation that’s sure to impress.