Nothing is sacred in Hollywood in 2019. Every classic television show, anime, or movie seems to be getting a remake of some kind in 2019. The seminal anime, Cowboy Bebop, seems to be no exception to this rule. Netflix announced last year that the highly influential anime will be getting a live-action series in 2019 and we now know a bit more about what it is going to look like.
Cowboy Bebop is a show predicated on it’s a fantastic crew of characters, and now we know who will be filling the roles of Spike, Jet, Faye, and Vicious. John Cho will be stepping up to play Spike Spiegle, the series main protagonist. Cho is most known for his work on the Harold and Kumar series and the film Searching. Stepping into the role of the suave bounty hunter Spike seems to be something new for the actor, but he seems to fit the bill of being able to handle his comedic side while balancing the more serious moments of the character. Cowboy Bebop will live and die by Spikes performance, and I for one have faith that Cho will do the character justice.
Jet Black, Spikes mentor, and fellow bounty hunter will be played by Mustafa Shakir of Luke Cage fame. One may notice the difference in race between that of the original character and Shakir. Clearly, this means that the creators of the Netflix adaptation are willing to take their own liberties with the characters and find the actors that they think best fit the roles. Faye Valentine will be played by Daniella Pineda who is most known for her work in Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom. Finally, rounding out the Cowboy Bebop cast is Vicious played by Alex Hassell who is most known for his work on the Amazon series, The Boy. The dynamic between Cho and Hassell should make for an exciting dynamic in the series!
Cowboy Bebop was picked up by Netflix back in November with the original creator, Shinichiro Watanabe on board to consult for the show. There is still no release date for the series but it is set to launch in 2019.
