I hope they don't screw this up. link Anime News Network points out that IF Magazine has learned that producer Erwin Stoff is developing an adaptation of one of America's favorite anime series.... Cowboy Bebop. “I’m developing COWBOY BEBOP for Fox, but doing it as a live-action film, so I’m working on that at the moment,” Stoff tells iF. “I’m really excited to be working on it, and it’s in the really early stages. We just signed it the other day.” “I have such an enormous admiration for its creators, that our first and foremost concern is going to be a real degree of faithfulness to the tone of the movie, to the mix of genres, and so on and so forth,” he says. “When I met with them in Japan, one of the first things that I brought up was the experience that we had on A SCANNER DARKLY, and how hard we worked to remain faithful to Philip K. Dick, and that was our big concern here.” The 26 episode Sunrise tv series and BONES movie followed a hard luck cadre of bounty hunters in the waning days of wild west period of solar system wide colonization: haunted but slick ex-gangster Spike Spiegel, grizzled veteran ex-cop Jet Black, gambler/femme fatale Faye Valentine, incorrigible hacker Ed, and data dog Ein. Combining artful homages to Western media, inventive direction from Shinichiro Watanabe and eclectic music from Yoko Kanno, Cowboy Bebop won over many fans when it was released on DVD by Bandai Entertainment and aired on Adult Swim.
The Casshern movie was awesome, though. So there's hope. I never loved Cowboy Bebop, though. I know so many people who love it, but it never held my interest. Give me Death Note, GTO, or Berserk any day...
Big fan of the series, but this has failure written all over it. Hollywood casting similarities anyone? I'm thinking Johnny Depp as Spike, and Charlize Theron as Faye Valentine (let's face it, Hollywood won't use Asian actors unless absolutely necessary, like the recent movie 21). Maybe Laurence Fishburne as Jet. And a 13 year old Natalie Portman from The Professional as Edward (I got nothing.)
More News: link All your Faye Valentine fantasies are finally going to come true… if you have any at least! Following Akira and Ghost in the Shell announcements, apparently Cowboy Bebop is in for a live-action adaptation as well. IF Magazine talked with veteran producer Erwin Stoff (via AICN) and discovered that he's working on making a live-action Cowboy Bebop movie with Fox. Apparently it's very fresh news: "I'm really excited to be working on it, and it's in the really early stages. We just signed it the other day." If you're not so familiar with Bebop, it's an incredibly popular Japanese anime TV series that first aired back in 1998 and has become a hit here in the US as well as Japan. I'm not exactly a big fan myself, but considering Hollywood is caught up in the anime trend, I'm definitely excited to see this one come to life as well. Faye ValentineStoff goes on to explain his enthusiasm for the project and their attempts to remain faithful. "I have such an enormous admiration for its creators, that our first and foremost concern is going to be a real degree of faithfulness to the tone of the movie, to the mix of genres, and so on and so forth. When I met with them in Japan, one of the first things that I brought up was the experience that we had on A Scanner Darkly, and how hard we worked to remain faithful to Philip K. Dick, and that was our big concern here." Don't get confused, this does not mean that they're going for a similar animated look like A Scanner Darkly, as he explicitly said that it's going to be live-action. And if you're wondering who Faye Valentine is, she's one of the main character's in the series and a fan favorite. The photo to the right comes from Bam Kapow's gallery of Faye Valentine costumes. The show first aired in Japan in early 1998 and was brought over to America in 2001 on Adult Swim. The series follows the adventures of a group of bounty hunters traveling on their spaceship, the Bebop, in the year 2071. Sony released a full-length animated film titled Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heavens Door in 2001 where it was greeted with immense praise from fans worldwide. It is easily one of the most popular mainstream anime series and is beloved by many people even if they're not hardcore anime fans. I think it's the perfect series to adapt, but like Dragonball, I worry that it may get screwed up in translation if it falls into the wrong hands. Unfortunately both Dragonball and this adaptation are at Fox, which isn't a good sign so far, but maybe they'll find a good director. However, I'm enjoying Hollywood's anime trend and am anxious to see what they're going to do with Cowboy Bebop Some fan dressed up as Faye Valentine. Slightly NSFW w/ cleavage: Spoiler And more...Keanu as Spike? I dunno about this.... link Just last week IF Magazine discovered that Fox is developing a live-action Cowboy Bebop movie based on the popular anime series. Remarkably, the project still isn't officially announced and Fox is still keeping it under wraps. However, a good friend inside the industry who is a very reliable source wrote in to tell me that the film is being fast tracked inside the studio and will most likely be out by 2010. He also revealed that Keanu Reeves has been attached as the lead character Spike for over eight months now and is still set for the role. Unfortunately there isn't a writer or director attached yet, but with some new forward momentum coming from last week's announcement, I don't think it will take too long. Yep, you heard that right, the same guy who played Neo will be taking on the role of Spike Spiegel, a former member of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate who is haunted by the memory of his time in the organization. As we mentioned previously, the show first aired in Japan in early 1998 and was brought over to America in 2001 on Adult Swim. The series follows the adventures of a group of bounty hunters traveling on their spaceship, the Bebop, in the year 2071. If you're looking for more details regarding this live-action Cowboy Bebop movie, here's yet another juicy tidbit. With Keanu Reeves involved, it's obvious this is no small project. My source also told me that if everything stays the same, the budget on this will be insane. Whether or not you believe it, the new trend in Hollywood is Asian culture. The first three big films that will open the door for more to come are Dragonball, Street Fighter, and Tekken. And we already announced live-action adaptations of Akira and Ghost in the Shell as well, so why not throw Cowboy Bebop into the mix as well? By 2012 we'll probably see all kinds of anime and manga adapted from Berserk to Hellsing and more. Jumping back to Cowboy Bebop, I have a feeling the initial reaction to Keanu is going to be negative, but just look at Day the Earth Stood Still. After seeing some additional footage, Keanu looks like the perfect fit for Klaatu and I can't wait to see that. Can we give him a chance in Cowboy Bebop?
It's made by Fox, so you can pretty much pencil this as a flop. Personally, they should just make a sequel to Firefly/Serenity *hint*hint*
