entertainment

American-made live-action TV series adaptation of anime 'Cowboy Bebop' in production

7 Comments
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24

There are few greener evergreen hits in the world of Japanese animation than "Cowboy Bebop." The 1997 TV series was steeped in anime stylishness, helmed by the confident hand of director Shinichiro Watanabe who was showing off, with aplomb, the full range of his skills after co-directing the hotly anticipated and highly satisfying direct-to-video "Macross Plus." At the same time, "Cowboy Bebop’s" mature cast and mix of gritty action and dry humor made it eminently accessible to foreign audiences unaccustomed to the perky, earnest youths of other anime series.

By feeling at once both fresh yet approachable, "Cowboy Bebop" was an instant hit that made its impact felt beyond the still relatively small foreign anime fanbase of the late ‘90s. Its crossover appeal led it to become one of the first anime series to have a successful U.S. TV broadcast without significant edits or rewriting, and now it sounds like "Cowboy Bebop" is heading back to American TV, but this time as a live-action adaptation.

Tomorrow Studios, the production company whose most prominent member is producer Marty Adelstein, has announced that it will be creating a live-action "Cowboy Bebop" TV series. “We are excited to work with Sunrise in bringing this beloved anime to the U.S. and global marketplace as a live-action series,” said Adelstein, referencing the fact that Sunrise, the anime studio that produced the animated "Cowboy Bebop," is also being credited as an executive producer on the project.

As a matter of fact, the live-action "Cowboy Bebop" is bristling with producers, with Josh Appelbaum, Becky Clements, Andre Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, Scott Rosenberg, and Matthew Weinberg also mentioned as filling such roles, along with Adelstein, who was an executive producer for "Prison Break," "Last Man Standing" and "Teen Wolf" TV series. Tapped as writer is Chris Yost, whose writing resume includes the second and third Thor movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as numerous episodes of Marvel and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cartoons.

It’s worth noting that Watanabe himself is conspicuously lacking from the list of so-far-announced contributors. Considering how much of the "Cowboy Bebop" anime’s success the series owes to its director’s signature style, his absence doesn’t bode well for fans hoping for a faithful recreation of the anime’s atmosphere,

While the live-action "Cowboy Bebop" is flush with producers, there are a few critical things it’s missing right now, such as a broadcaster or release date. Tomorrow Studios also announced it was working on a TV adaptation of Korean film/French comic "Snowpiercer" back in 2015, but has yet to air even a pilot for the project, so it may be some time before the Bebop crew shows up in live-action.

Sources: Variety, Deadline via Livedoor News, Otakomu

Read more stories from SoraNews24

-- Distributor of anime Your Name reportedly responds to rumors of live-action adaptation

-- Just say no! Five anime that fans hope never get live-action remakes

-- Heads up, Aussie anime fans: Terror in Resonance to premiere at Oz Comic-Con

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

7 Comments
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sigh......

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Please.. don't.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I wish American movie makers would stop raping anime.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

oh boy... hope for a Firefly-esque series

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Why do producers feel the need to change the medium (anime to live action)? Its fine like it is. Heck, Disney even remade its beauty and the beast into live action too...why? Do we need to have an anime Law & Order or Stargate (same shows, not inspired by)? Do we need to have a Muppet News at 7? Original ideas people, please...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Heck, Disney even remade its beauty and the beast into live action too...why?

For lots of zeroes, to the tune of $1,200,000,000

And that's just for the box office - much of the money now is on merchandising

0 ( +0 / -0 )

don't go to the movies and it'll stop. If people complain but see it anyway, then that's all the studio cares about

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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