Netflix Begin Casting for ‘Cowboy Bebop’
Netflix have begun the casting process for their live-action remake of Cowboy Bebop, releasing official character descriptions and officially casting the lead characters.
The diverse group of actors to be cast in the remake are John Cho (Star Trek) as Spike Siegel, Mustafa Shakir (Luke Cage) as Jet Black, Daniella Pineda (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) as Faye Valentine, and Alex Hassell (Suburbicon) as Vicious.
For those who aren’t familiar with the original Cowboy Bebop anime from the late 90s, Netflix has released official descriptions for each of these lead characters:
- Spike Spiegel is an impossibly cool “cowboy” (bounty hunter) with a deadly smile, a wry wit, and style to spare. He travels the solar system with his ex-cop partner, Jet, pursuing the future’s most dangerous bounties with a combination of charm, charisma – and deadly Jeet Kune Do.
- Jet Black was one of the few honest cops in the solar system before an ultimate betrayal robbed him of all that he loved, forcing him into a vagabond life of hunting bounties to put food on the table. Jet is an inveterate jazz enthusiast and Captain of the Bebop.
- Faye Valentine is a bold, brash and unpredictable bounty hunter. Suffering from amnesia after years of being cryogenically frozen, Faye does whatever it takes to survive. Whether she’s lying, stealing, or just being a thorn in Spike and Jet’s side.
- A man who thoroughly enjoys a good kill, Vicious is the Syndicate’s most notorious hitman. He’s also Spike Spiegel’s ex-partner and arch-enemy.
The casting of John Cho seems a particularly savvy one. Fans were concerned that Netflix might whitewash the cast for a Western audience like so many other projects, but the showrunners specifically sought after an Asian-American actor for the role. Cho’s past roles in Harold & Kumar and Star Trek suggest that he’d be a perfect fit for what should be a light and badass sci-fi action show.
Cowboy Bebop follows a crew of bounty hunters aboard the space ship Bebop in the year 2071. Shinchiro Watanabe, director of the original anime, is consulting on the live-action remake while Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg will act as showrunners and producers. The four collectively have worked on Life on Mars, Fringe, Zoo and Knightfall, so Cowboy Bebop should be in capable hands.
Josh is a huge a fan of Star Wars, superheroes and video games. He spends most of his time wondering who would win in a fight between Boba Fett and Star Lord.
