Andre Nemec, the showrunner of the live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop coming to Netflix this fall, has discussed his vision for the upcoming series. As Nemec explains, the live-action series will honor the original storyline of Cowboy Bebop.
Cowboy Bebop is an anime series that premiered in 1997 and is set in the future, with a variety of different genres or themes. The science-fiction western-themed noir series spans a total of twenty-six episodes and follows bounty hunters as they hunt targets onboard a spaceship called the "Bebop." The original Cowboy Bebop show is set in 2071, so it makes for an interesting dynamic when it combines both tropes and themes from western films with those of typical fighting anime, all while being set in the future.
The cast of Netflix's Cowboy Bebop includes John Cho as Spike Spiegel, Daniella Pineda as Faye Valentine, and Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the showrunner went on to point out that when telling this story with these same three characters, re-doing the anime would be a disappointment because it was already done well. "I think to just redo the anime will leave an audience hungry for something that they already saw. The anime did an amazing job. We don't need to serve the exact same meal," he said.
This should be exciting news because it won't change what was already done while also serving as a healthy way for fans to return to a world they're familiar with. Adapting Cowboy Bebop in a live-action format will give it a new fresh feel while not feeling like an actual sequel or reboot. If it comes out well, then this is a very smart way to go about adding to a story without ruining the legacy of the original.
Live-action adaptations are the new wave as of late. Many books are getting made into movies (ex. Denis Villeneuve's Dune), comic book heroes are getting the movie treatment from Marvel and DC Comics, and video games are getting made into movies (Mortal Kombat, Detective Pikachu, and Uncharted). So it seems that many are craving these live-action tellings of popular properties because it offers the closest thing to being immersed in these made-up and enriching worlds.
Though on the flip side, creators must be careful not to leave a bad note for fans. They'll be quick to spot out any inconsistencies or flaws that break the feeling they felt while enjoying the original titles. This is why many directors leave live-action adaptations alone, for the most part, when it comes to video games or anime, as they have these really drastic and different worlds that become hard to emulate in the confines of a film.
Cowboy Bebop will be on Netflix on November 19, 2021.
Source: Entertainment Weekly