The popular 1990s anime series Cowboy Bebop is getting the live-action treatment for television.
Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok scribe Christopher Yost is currently working on the development with Tomorrow Studios and ITV Studios. Yost has also worked on animated TV shows Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Wolverine and the X-Men and The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
First debuting in 1998, Cowboy Bebop tells the story of spaceship The Bebop, whose ship comprises of loner bounty hunters tracking down criminals so they can afford to eat. Among the crew is the cool and collected Spike, pilot Jet, femme fatale Faye, hacker Ed and Welsh corgi Ein. Although critically acclaimed and lauded with praise and awards, the show only ran for 26-episodes but is fondly remembered for its gorgeous animation. In its early days, Cowboy Bebop was cut from its station TV Tokyo because of its adult aesthetic, when studios and stations wanted animation to be Pokemon-esque kid friendly. It then found a home on WOWOW, where it became a huge hit. A special aired in 1990, and feature film Cowboy Bebop: The Movie was released in 2001.
Since 2008, 20th Century Fox have been attempting to develop a live-action movie which was going to star Keanu Reeves as Spike. Original writers and directors Shinichirō Watanabe and Keiko Nobumoto were on as producers, and future The Town and The Hunger Games: Mockinjay scribe Peter Craig was penning the script. Although it was set for release in 2011, the movie hit development hell. With the announcement of this new series – and a lack of updates in nearly three years – it’s safe to assume this project is done and dusted.
Originally published June 6, 2017. Updated April 13, 2018.
