Netflix is making a massive leap of faith by adapting some fan-favorite anime in live-action, including Cowboy Bebop. The duty to transform the action-packed story into something that both hardcore fans and newcomers will enjoy falls to Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol writer André Nemec. But judging from his words, it appears that long-time fans should expect an extension of the anime rather than a verbatim adaptation.
“I promise we will never take the original anime away from the purists,” said Nemec while talking with EW. “It will always exist out there. But I’m very excited about the stories that we’re telling. I believe we’ve done a really nice job of not violating the canon in any direction but merely offering some extra glimpses into the world that was already created.”
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Fans already noticed that Netflix changed some elements from the story of the former member of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate and his friends. For example, bounty hunter Spike Spiegel is 27, while actor John Cho is (and looks) older than that. The first look at the series also raised some eyebrows regarding Faye’s costume, which is far more modest than the animated version.
“I think that the poetic nature of the anime absolutely allowed for us to mine the archetypal nature of the characters and dig out deeper histories that we wanted to explore — and answer some of the questions that the anime leaves you with,” he added. “I think to just redo the anime will leave an audience hungry for something that they already saw. The anime did an amazing job. We don’t need to serve the exact same meal. I think it would have been disappointing if we did.”
Cowboy Bebop will debut on Netflix on Nov. 19.
What do you expect from the Cowboy Bebop live-action adaptation? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Cowboy Bebop: The Anime TV Series and Movie: Pocket Guide
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