The Official Live-Action "Cowboy Bebop" News & Discussion Thread

Hell, of top of John Woo, it's got a bit of Robert Rodiguez, what with the blatant 'Desperado' homage that is the entire first episode. It's a hodgepodge of Western action films, really, and given that, there's really no reason to think why Bebop WOULDN'T work as a live action movie.

More to the point, just because you buy the rights to something, doesn't mean it's going to be made into a movie. Remeraber back in 2004 when we heard Lupin the 3rd might be made into a live action film by Speilberg? Nothing came of that, did it?
 
If a loyal adaptation with mainstream appeal can't be done for Bebop, there's no hope for anime in Hollywood. I'll just summarize what others have said.

It's built from parts that a general Western audience can easily swallow. Western? Check. Sci-Fi? Check. Space Western? Check. References to American culture? Check. American musical stylings? Check - might as well be plagiarized in spots. Just enough uniqueness to feel fresh but not enough to alienate anyone? Check.

The existing canon is open enough to be added to without having to contradict anything. All anyone had to do was write the equivalent of a lengthened stand-alone episode, not much different than KoHD, while allowing for brief character introductions.

It's not that much different than writing a movie for an American TV series that's either still running or recently canceled. It might even be easier. You write for the existing audience and pop on some training wheels for the newbies. It's not even a matter of putting the source material on a pedestal and giving it "proper respect" or anything like that. I don't know how much more straightforward it could get.

If the film fails, I'll be crying for Hollywood's sake, not Bebop's.

--Romey
 
Keanu better hunker down and watch every piece of videeo footage of Bob Dylan in order to play Spike.


...or just walk onto the set and speak in monotone, whatever he prefers.
 
Bebop cannot be broken down or generalized that simply or easily.

Having all those elements - any movie or TV show can have those. Many have before and they still didn't work.
 
Scarlett Johanson would be a good Julia. Shes like 26 or so, she fits the age of Julia in the series. Or i was just thinking Elisha Cutrabroadert, i would like her to play Julia.

Julia should be played by someone who is the "girl next door" look, gorgous looking, but not overly beautiful, but attractive regardless...
 
Boby Dylan? Spike seems to be inspired by the various mafia hitman characters that Chow Yun-Fat starred as. While Jet always seems to be like a burned out Dirty Harry that tired of being a cop and became a Bounty Hunter.
 
It's a wonderful show, worth several viewings in multiple languages, but it's no Chaucer. It's not even Shakespeare. If a college freshman can be expected to break down and generalize works that countless literary analysts have built careers on for centuries, Bebop is a piece of cake. At least it's built from more or less contemporary elements.

--Romey
 
Go watch the movie, "The Replacement Killers" (movie came out "Feb 1998" a month before Cowboy Bebop premeired in Japan "April 23 1998"). Spike seems to be partly inspired by Chow Yun-Fat's character in that movie. For example, you can see the inspiration in Spike in the Cowboy Bebop episode, "Ballet of Fallen Angels".
 
The fact that a writer actually said that Keanu Reeves is a perfect fit for Spike also . . . horrible. Then again, it was an MTV writer.
 
If he was ten years younger and could, you know, act, Keanu wouldn't be a bad choice. http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2008/12/a_field_guide_to_the_complete.html?%3F%3F#photo=1
 
I was more thinking about natural blondes, but i do like the Liv Tyler part.

Accually, Cutrabroadert could pull of Faye. Dye her hair dark purple and vola!! Ive seen her acting in the past, she would pull a Faye pretty good or decent for that matter...
 
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