Cowboy. Beebop. Live. Action.

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2008-07-31 04:02pm

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.

Stoff 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. Thoughts?

I'm a bit numb at the moment, though I think its great they stuck a 'random hot girl' pic in the article.

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2008-07-31 04:04pm

More good news: Keaneau is Spike

I'm just gonna have my soul removed so news like this doesn't hurt.

Swindle1984 · Post by **Swindle1984** » 2008-07-31 04:14pm

Keaneua Reeves is playing Spike Spiegel?

That's like having Richard Simmons play Darth Vader, or Bruce Willis playing Dr. Strangelove.

And here I was all excited to see a Jericho 941 on the big screen. I think I'm going to buy one just so I can eat a bullet when this comes out in theaters.

Ford Prefect · Post by **Ford Prefect** » 2008-07-31 07:54pm

I'm an absolutely enormous Cowboy Bebop fanboy, huge, I tell you. I was about tell Chewie to be reasonable, and that this isn't the end of the world.

But Keaneu Reeves?

Lucky it's only a rumour.

Erik von Nein · Post by **Erik von Nein** » 2008-07-31 07:57pm

Why? Just ... why? I know it's for money, but seriously. This is stupid.

Peptuck · Post by **Peptuck** » 2008-07-31 08:26pm

Swindle1984 wrote:Keaneua Reeves is playing Spike Spiegel?

WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Tanasinn · Post by **Tanasinn** » 2008-07-31 08:58pm

"WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY" is a battlecry, not an expression of dismay.

Color me skeptical, particularly on the "desire to remain faithful" claim. Everyone says that.

At least it can't tarnish the series as it stands, though.

Peptuck · Post by **Peptuck** » 2008-07-31 10:23pm

Tanasinn wrote:"WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY" is a battlecry, not an expression of dismay.

In that case, its still appropriate. Reeves as Spike fills me with equal parts dismay and white-hot hatredrage.

montypython · Post by **montypython** » 2008-08-01 01:48am

Keaneua Reeves is playing Spike Spiegel?

Damn those morons, would someone with more charisma than a log please step forward instead?

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2008-08-01 04:23am

the awesome thing about preferring older space opera anime is that there's slim chance of hollywood coming around to fuck it up

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2008-08-01 04:56am

Don't give them ideas. Next thing you know it'll be Space Battleship Iowa.

DarkSilver · Post by **DarkSilver** » 2008-08-01 09:08am

On one hand......It's Bebop..

on the other hand, it's Live Action Bebop in the hands of Fox and rumors of Keanooooooo being Spike.....

Somethings Keanu is suited for....but sure as in hell not Spike.

Make it some unknown, not him.

VF5SS · Post by **VF5SS** » 2008-08-01 09:56am

Oh I hope Joss Whedon is directing. Ed is already barefoot, you know he's a fan.

Saxtonite · Post by **Saxtonite** » 2008-08-01 10:55am

Vendetta wrote:Don't give them ideas. Next thing you know it'll be Space Battleship Iowa.

they were going to do something similar with Arizona actually
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Blaze ... can_remake

Guardsman Bass · Post by **Guardsman Bass** » 2008-08-01 12:56pm

Good lord, Keanu Reeves is exactly the wrong person to play Spike. Spike has sort of a sarcastic humor and nature to him as well as his flightiness. I really don't know who ought to play him.

Maxentius · Post by **Maxentius** » 2008-08-01 01:06pm

If Joss Whedon directed, you could probably get away with Nathan Fillion as Spike.

Vicious, on the other hand, would seem to defy live-action characterization.

Ohma · Post by **Ohma** » 2008-08-01 01:29pm

Saxtonite wrote:they were going to do something similar with Arizona actually
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Blaze ... can_remake

Eeeeew, thank goodness that didn't pan out.

Saxtonite · Post by **Saxtonite** » 2008-08-01 02:01pm

Ohma wrote:
Saxtonite wrote:they were going to do something similar with Arizona actually
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Blaze ... can_remake
Eeeeew, thank goodness that didn't pan out.

they said they were re-starting the attempt in 2006.

Saxtonite · Post by **Saxtonite** » 2008-08-01 02:03pm

Also, I thought they were doing something like this earlier; I remember a trailer from several years ago. Well it was something like Bebop at least, the guys there talked about how it was ripped-off or something.

Ryushikaze · Post by **Ryushikaze** » 2008-08-01 02:45pm

Maxentius wrote:If Joss Whedon directed, you could probably get away with Nathan Fillion as Spike.

Vicious, on the other hand, would seem to defy live-action characterization.

Anyone young got/ can do the same kind of hard boiled crazy that Jack Nicholson does? Bale, possibly. Norton's too physically unassuming.

Also, I second the notion of dropping a steamroller onto Keanu Reeves.

TithonusSyndrome · Post by **TithonusSyndrome** » 2008-08-01 04:14pm

Any mention on whether this will be proper live action or some kind of mocap disaster like Beowulf? The comparison to Ghost In The Shell, which I believe Spielberg has stated will be done Beowulf-style, piques my curiosity.

FSTargetDrone · Post by **FSTargetDrone** » 2008-08-01 04:22pm

Akira

And

live-action adaptation

Well, that can't be any worse than the original. Zing!

As far as Bebop goes, I will be cautiously optimistic. Perhaps my Good Thoughts will pan out and Reeves will sign on for a sequel to Point Break, instead.

Sidewinder · Post by **Sidewinder** » 2008-08-02 12:35am

Keanu Reeves as Spike Spiegel? Fox might as well remake Springtime for Hitler, so they can get a cheap script and raise more profits from the scam.

VF5SS wrote:Oh I hope Joss Whedon is directing.

I hope NOT, considering Whedon's hatred of guns. A better choice would be John Woo.

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2008-08-02 12:49am

Whedon did good with guns in Firefly, with Mal busting a cap on a lot of folk's asses.

Peptuck · Post by **Peptuck** » 2008-08-02 01:33am

Sidewinder wrote:
VF5SS wrote:Oh I hope Joss Whedon is directing.
I hope NOT, considering Whedon's hatred of guns. A better choice would be John Woo.

Well, Bebop does make some rather extensive use of martial arts, and if Firefly is any indication, Whedon may have let his aversion to gun use fade a bit.

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Cowboy. Beebop. Live. Action.

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