Netflix announced that its long-delayed, live-action adaptation of the influential and popular classic anime series Cowboy Bebop will premiere in November. The streaming platform also released the first images from the show, giving fans some insight into what to expect from a series known for its visual flair.
The images show actor John Cho (Star Trek, Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle) as the series’ lead character, Spike Spiegel. The actor replicates the character’s classic jazzed-up double-breasted suit from the original 26-episode series and the 2001 movie, which were both directed by Japanese filmmaker Shinichiro Watanabe.
Cho’s hair looks on point. He grew out his locks to channel Spike’s signature hairdo. The photos also reveal Spike’s bounty hunter cohorts in live-action. The series will also star Alex Hassell (Suburbicon), Daniella Pineda (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), and Mustafa Shakir (Luke Cage), among others.
Andre Nemec will be the series showrunner. He previously worked as a writer and producer on sci-fi TV series Alias and Zoo, plus the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. The director of the original anime series, Watanabe, is a consultant for the new show. Also returning from the anime is score composer Yoko Kanno.
Here’s the official synopsis: Cowboy Bebop is an action-packed space Western about three bounty hunters, aka “cowboys,” all trying to outrun the past. As different as they are deadly, Spike Spiegel (John Cho), Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda) form a scrappy, snarky crew ready to hunt down the solar system’s most dangerous criminals — for the right price. But they can only kick and quip their way out of so many scuffles before their pasts finally catch up with them.
This live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop was first announced nearly three years ago in 2018, but its road to completion has been troubled. A knee injury Cho suffered on set postponed the series for months. The Covid-19 pandemic then added further complications, as it did for all live-action Hollywood productions. Production for the season finally wrapped in March of this year.
Cowboy Bebop is executive-produced by Andre Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg of Midnight Radio, Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements of Tomorrow Studios, Makoto Asanuma, Shin Sasaki and Masayuki Ozaki of Sunrise Inc., Tim Coddington, Tetsu Fujimura, Michael Katleman, Matthew Weinberg, and Christopher Yost.
Cowboy Bebop originally premiered in 1998. It drew critical acclaim and became a cult hit, thanks in part to its striking visual style and its strong thematic elements. The 10-episode first season debuts on 19 November.