Almost four years after it was originally announced, the live-action Cowboy Bebop series finally has a release date.
The series will premiere on Netflix on Nov. 19. In addition to a release date, the streaming company released the first photos from the highly anticipated adaptation, which feature surprisingly accurate costumes and sets. The series is being co-produced by Tomorrow Studios, Prison Break and Teen Wolf producer Marty Adelstein, and Sunrise, the animation studio that produced the original Cowboy Bebop anime. The series was originally announced by Tomorrow Studios in 2017, with Netflix announcing that it had secured the series as an exclusive for its streaming service in 2018.
The cast stars John Cho (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Star Trek,) as the laid back bounty hunter Spike Spiegel, Mustafa Shakir (Luke Cage) as Spike's partner Jet Black, Daniella Pineda (Jurassic World) as the femme fatale Faye Valentine, and Alex Hassel (The Boys) as Spike's former ally and rival, Vicious. Notably absent from the cast list and the released photographs is the child prodigy Ed, the computer hacker of the team.
The anime's original director Shinichiro Watanabe will serve as the series' creative consultant, while the anime's composer Yoko Kanno will return to provide the new show's score.
Cowboy Bebop was one of the most acclaimed anime series of the '90s, and is still frequently cited by critics as one of the most influential and important anime series ever created. IGN ranked it #14 in their list of "The Top 100 Animated Series of All Time" and Anime News Network called the series the most important anime of the 1990s, ranking it above works such as Ghost in the Shell and Neon Genesis Evangelion. The series has been lauded for its unique blend of genres and themes, its memorable jazz soundtrack, and for the quality of its animation, which at times rivals what can be seen in bigger budget, animated theatrical releases. The show's original broadcast in 1998 was followed up with the theatrical release of Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' On Heaven's Door, also known as Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, in 2001.
The series received a dedicated following in North America when it was initially released on VHS and DVD, but exploded in popularity and mainstream recognition after it aired on both Adult Swim and Cartoon Network's Toonami block during the early '00s.
The original Cowboy Bebop anime series is available for streaming on Netflix, Hulu, and on Adult Swim's website.
Source: Netflix
