Fox Signs On for a Live-Action 'Cowboy Bebop'
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, 20th Century Fox, Comic/Superhero/Geek
For all the anime fans who hoped that certain titles would remain out of the grasp of Hollywood; I have some bad news for you. According to iFMagazine, Fox has given the green-light for a live-action version of the classic animated series, Cowboy Bebop. During the Television Critics Association press tour, producer Erwin Stoff let it slip that he now has a deal in place with Fox studios to bring the popular series to the big screen. Stoff told journalists, "I'm developing COWBOY BEBOP for Fox, but doing it as a live-action film, so I'm working on that at the moment, I'm really excited to be working on it, and it's in the really early stages. We just signed it the other day."For the uninitiated; Cowboy Bebop was the story of a group of bounty hunters and their adventures aboard their ship, Bebop, in the year 2071. The series was a huge success in both Japan and in the US, and even spawned an animated film back in 2002.
For fans who might be worried that Cowboy could suffer the same fate as other anime-inspired flicks, there is a silver lining. Stoff promised that, "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," -- I don't want to sound too cynical, but it's not like we haven't heard that one before.
Now on to the more important question: Who should take over for Jet Black and the gang on the big screen? Sound off below...
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-23-2008 @ 7:44PM
Dagonet said...
I think Ein may be the only character who will be cast well in this movie.
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7-24-2008 @ 9:34AM
kalyke said...
OMG Yes. I racked my brain trying to think of any actor/actress that could pull off any of the characters and could not come up with one.
7-23-2008 @ 7:56PM
Claire said...
I can hear the screams of pain and misery already. there are a few friends i won't be sharing this news with.....to save myself from their inevitable rant of the mistreatment of anime in American culture.
another sad point is that some of the decisions for this adaptation will probably be based (in part) on the success or failure of the Dragonball Z movie (whenever that comes out). which could be good or bad, depending.
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7-23-2008 @ 7:58PM
Corie said...
Kill me now, please? We seriously need new ideas in Hollywood, and of all the things that could be made live action, this is not one that needs it.
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7-23-2008 @ 7:57PM
scottR said...
It seems Stoff has worked many a time with Keanu Reeves. I can just see a bunch of suits saying 'Hey, Spike is a brooding type, and so is Keanu. Perfect fit!'.
And to that I say, 'For the love of all things that are good, ANYONE BUT HIM!'.
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7-24-2008 @ 2:41AM
Turbo said...
What scares me the most about a big screen adaptation is that this is a character driven series. The plot actually matters very little.
God help whomever is tasked with finding the perfect Spike.
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7-23-2008 @ 8:59PM
Misty said...
Oh, God help me, not Keanu. And please tell me they won't try to get Angelina to play Faye. *shudder *
How about James Marsters to play Spike Siegel? No, not because he's already played one Spike already, but because he's got the right body shape - tall and lanky.
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7-23-2008 @ 9:12PM
Misty said...
Err, Spiegel. Oops.
7-23-2008 @ 9:18PM
FormerAirline said...
On the bright side, the guy did produce A Scanner Darkly which was a fairly faithful adaptation.
I hope that Vicious is the main baddie.
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7-23-2008 @ 9:20PM
Jake said...
Jeff Bridges for Jet.
Charlize Theron (sp?) might be able to pull off Faye Valentine, but it may not work...
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7-23-2008 @ 10:52PM
Spacemonkey0019 said...
Didn't they already make a live action version of Cowboy Bebop? I seem to remember that they decided to rename it Firefly/Serenity.
I kid. Love them both. But, you do have to admit there are more than a few similarities between the two.
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7-23-2008 @ 10:36PM
John R said...
I give up.
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7-23-2008 @ 11:11PM
James the 4th said...
Spike Siegel - Christian Bale or James Franco
Jet Black - Ron Perlman
Faye - Morena Baccarin
Ed - Saoirse Ronan
Just my thoughts
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7-23-2008 @ 11:30PM
Darphpinko said...
Just trash the project. The style is just impossible to re-create. There are some things that are just meant to be left alone in their respective mediums. "Bebop" was engineered for Anime, NOT for live action.
Slide this into the backburner and let us all forget about it.
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7-24-2008 @ 12:57AM
Kurt said...
Honestly, I could care less whom they cast in it, just so long as Yoko Kanno and The SEATBELTS are doing the music.
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7-24-2008 @ 7:05AM
marian said...
Umm. Jeff Bridges also sprung to my mind when looking for a Jet-ish type. I think he could do it.
Spike, however, will be a tough task, as will be Faye. Faye because of her inconsistent persona and her outbreaks, Spike because of his otherworldly physique.
I thought of a Marv-ish Mickey Rourke as Jet as well. *scratches his head*
Take Saoirse Ronan as Ed, O.K., but let Andy Serkis do all over her movements. :D
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9-03-2008 @ 4:25PM
Lauren said...
>3 Yush. Let Andy Serkis do Ed's movements! :3 That'd make the movie worth watching forme...so long as they also have cameos of the American Voice Actors kie Steven Blum.....myfriend would go bonkers over that one...
7-24-2008 @ 10:57AM
Argent said...
yeah, can't say i'm looking forward to this much.
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7-24-2008 @ 7:59PM
Yivo said...
Erwin Stoff produced, Matrix, Street Kings, The Lake House, A Scanner Darkly, The Devil's Advocate, Constantine, Chain Reaction, Feeling Minnesota, and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey.
Unfortunately, Keanu Reeves will definitely be Spike Spiegel. That's just great, the best bounty hunter in the galaxy/ ex-member of the Chinese Syndicate will be a white guy performing stiff Jeet Kune Do. Bruce Lee is rolling in his grave as we speak.
The only way they can pull this off is if the Faye, Jet and Spike eat a bag of mushrooms in the beginning of the film and make a comedy from the perspective of Ed and Ein. That way Keanu Reeves can use his permanent stoner/surfer accent, "Uhhh, duuude, you better get out of my way frog! I know Kung-Fu..."
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7-24-2008 @ 4:15PM
scottR said...
I'll second Perlman as Jet. He's got the frame, the gruff, and the funny.
Spike will be the tough one, no one is going to be happy with whoever is cast. Bale- too old, and he doesn't do comedy (much).
Faye- got to be able to do bitter and funny. Tina Fey would do well (might need work on the bitter though), and her name sounds the same! Sarah Michelle Gellar could also be a possible.
The big problem I see is the funny. Comedy is tough, and the whole thing may look Bebop and sound Bebop, but if it's not funny, it'll die.
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