cowboy bebop goes live action
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Tagged: cowboy bebop
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Giant Humaniod Robot… come on down and collect your prize.
(But I don’t have a prize. Well, except for that I scrapped my 2,000 rant on Xam’d and Sony.)
So a few weeks ago, I wrote a post about anime that could be adapted into a Hollywood TV series. And out of everyone that responded, there were good suggestions (Baccano), bad suggestions (Bamboo Blade), and even worse suggestions (Suzuka). But only one person suggested Cowboy Bebop: Giant Humaniod Robot.
Cowboy Bebop looks like yet another potential anime turned Hollywood franchise, and hopefully it doesn’t suffer the same fate as Battle Angel or Evangelion. I think finding a halfway decent Spike and Jet aren’t hard (keep in mind that probably, most likely they’re not going to get Brad Pitt or any A or even B list celeb to star in this), but it’s going to be hard finding someone for Faye (please not Lohan) and even harder for Ed.
38 Responses to “cowboy bebop goes live action”
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First!
I’d like to hear who the director is first. If we get someone like Peter Jackson we might have something awesome. However, if we get Uwe Boll…
*Runs to erase this horrible mental image*
Oh whatever powers exist, please do NOT let this turn into the next Street Fighter Movie, which was so bad that it killed Raul Julia.
I don’t think 10 years ago I would have dreamed that Hollywood would resort to going to anime for source material (lot of them at once).
I’m still wanting that Baccano live action…
Isn’t there a porn star going by the name Faye Valentine?
FAYE VALENTINE – Herself
My first reaction was OH GOD NO. My second reaction was OH GOD NO. My third reaction was “well it does have a lot of American influences so it makes a certain amount of sense…” but I’m still kicking reason to the curb and sticking to my OH GOD NO guns.
Maybe if I just think about the absolute worst case scenario, like Man Faye being cast, the actual product will be a thousand times better in comparison.
This could work. Cowboy Bebop is one series that really could pull it off, but I’m still cautious. If they can keep the feeling of orginal series I’ll watch. And Spike’s hair :P
Huh. this really could work out pretty well if they actually do a good job with it.
This could go right and horribly horribly wrong. You need to find someone who can actually just be effortlessly cool for Spike without making it look corny. Although finding someone to be as high on crack as Ed is going to be– well, considering the amount of Hollywood actos on crack, maybe not that hard.
I’d be fine with whatever horrendous actors they choose as long as they let the original English V.A.s dub over them. : )
maybe they’ll cg in spike’s hair and faye’s melonpan.
Lohan could probably make a good Ein, if they keep her gagged.
Don’t forget Bebop’s most important cast member, who if they aren’t in some way involved, will doom the project to failure:
Yoko Kanno
“most likely they’re not going to get Brad Pitt or any A or even B list celeb to star in this”
That’s the key. If the production team is thoughtful, and puts effort and money into making a quality adaption, there’s no question in my mind the end product will succeed, because the heart and soul of Bebop is so in line with western audiences tastes and sensibilities.
The FEAR is that they’ll hack together some C-list writers, cast unproven (or worse, provenly bad actors), record some street-side free-form Jazz “artists”, and call it Cowboy Bebop.
It’s so different from the DBZ adaption, because the original DBZ was laughably comical in execution already. A bad adaption will only be a faithful spiritual adaption, and a worse adaption might make for better entertainment.
Cowboy Bebop lives in the minds of many western anime fans (casual and otaku) as something great. A balanced mixture of slick and smooth action, a hip and fun soundtrack, and a lovable cast of quircky archetypal characters that don’t rely too much on melodramatics for realism, all set in a plausibly developed, gritty yet imaginative, future. Anything that strays from the formula will not be tolerated by fans.
I agree with Tarage that the director will be of utmost importance to a satisfying adaptation. Finding an Ed would be really easy as there are plenty of young actors looking for a breakout role.
I don’t need a prize (just remember me when you come into your meido kingdom). And I still can’t believe I’m the only one who mentioned it.
Here’s something to mull over: Would a Hollywood movie be more or less preferable to a new Bebop movie by Sunrise?
Peter Jackson did a good job on LOTR, but he definitely mailed in King Kong. There’s not a lot good directors out there, but there’s one person I’d like to see take on Bebop.
And, Kab, I really disagree. George Lucas had all the resources and clout in the world to find a decent Anakin… and we got the Jack Lloyd / Hayden Christensen tag team. Can you name one good child actor who did a good job in his/her role in a serious movie in the past 5 years?
Damn it!
I read the new yesterday and I’m still angry at it. I guess Hollywood is already out of good ideas and they need to rely on something that was a success in it’s own way. Hopefully it won’t be crap.
I agree with QuigonKenny: getting Yoko Kanno onboard goes a long way to making the movie “right”.
Jason said: “There’s not a lot good directors out there, but there’s one person I’d like to see take on Bebop.”
See, that’s the thing. Will it have the resources (money) to go out and get the top talent to make a really good film? Can the (compulsory) CG Swordfish dogfight scene still look really cool on a second-tier budget? Are they going to be Serious, or are they going to make a cheap cash-in with the Bebop name?
Reader Comment from source link: “someone breaks Keanu’s legs to stop him from playing Spike”
Nervous laughter ensues…
How much of the crap performances in Star Wars are because of George Lucas? Can you give an epic, serious performance spouting lines like “Are you an angel?” Also, remember that Jake Lloyd could have easily been Haley Joel Osment in his young prime. Dakota Fanning is pretty famous as a good actress (would not be a good Ed) so I’m sure there are other quality kids out there.
Not sure how likely it would be, but…what about Angelina Jolie?
Don’t forget Bebop’s most important cast member, who if they aren’t in some way involved, will doom the project to failure: Yoko Kanno
agreed.
Reader Comment from source link: “someone breaks Keanu’s legs to stop him from playing Spikeâ€
okay. i laughed…
Not sure how likely it would be, but…what about Angelina Jolie?
“No.”
I hate this idea, but if it’s going to happen, I could live with Joss Whedon doing it.
For a director, I’m actually hoping the Wachowski Siblings. Based on their relationship with CB’s director (he did some work for Animatrix) and their handling of Speed Racer (much better than it could have been) I think they could actually do a good job with this one.
No comment on making a cast, though. That’ll be tough to do well.
“This could go right and horribly horribly wrong.” – Omisyth
Indeed.
I am less then optimistic about this live action thing.
I’m afraid they would have to ‘casual’ it up by explaining all the backstory. One of the best things about Bebop was finding stuff out as you went along-when you summarize it all in a paragraph of prologue it doesn’t have the same impact (whenever I use this word now I think of “LAGAAN IMPACTO”).
I’m not as worried about cast-only hard part in my mind-would be Ed, as she is the kind of moe that does not translate well to the real world.
MAN live action Ein would be hilarious tho. Welsh corgis are such funny shaped dogs.
Man, they better find a badass Vicious.
I mean, a Cowboy Bebop without him is like TTGL, but with no Anti-Spirals
Hmm…Peter Jackson did an ok job on LOTR. Not spectacular, more flash than substance but just ok for a Hollywood B movie. I got cheated on King Kong. It royally sucks and Peter really bombed this one. Now I heard they are doing The Hobbit with other director (I hope it’s good for the sake of Tolkien and the books because back when I first read all Tolkien’s work, it was really made of pure win and awesome). I think Peter will messed this one up.
Hmm, James Cameron (Titanic) can be a good option? Is Cameron also the director of the original Aliens? The original Aliens back in the 80’s is GOOD. Good story and good execution. Not much can be said of the recent Alien’s progenies…
The thing is, you either hire the old school directors or the newer ones to direct this movie to flesh out its full potential. Also combine with a “good” writer (script and flow) with a good cast and with the “budget” to match and you’re ready to go.
Of course, all of the people that post here all hopes in their loli-loving hearts that this anime-to-film adaptation will work out alright but we’ve been screwed by Hollywood far too often so it’s easier to be cynical and whatnot…^_~
I hope the one who will be casted as Faye Valentine will be as hot and as good as in how she was presented in the anime…if wishes were horses it will run and if Lulu were straight, he would have done C.C and Kallen already…^_~
Could turn out well, could turn out terribly. Most likely the latter.
P.S.: Nijuu Mensou no Musume 12 is FINALLY subbed, not by live-evil, but by Japan-Society. Check Veoh.
I think Joss Whedon is probably the best we can hope for as far as directors go. All the huge names would already be attached if it were going to happen, and a couple of the bigger names (Spielberg, Cameron) are already attached to other live action anime adaptations (GitS, Battle Angel). Also, Whedon has a little more successful experience in the “space opera crossed with other genre” column than pretty much any other director. It’s possible, if this is still in pre-production when DragonBall hits (likely), and DragonBall is successful (not likely), that we might get a level up on the director, but I wouldn’t count on it.
Chris Nolan could be good, but I don’t see any hard sci-fi experience on his resume. Granted, considering the plot of the average Bebop episode or the movie, that’s not really a necessity, unless you want a “(compulsory) CG Swordfish dogfight scene”.
Regarding Angelina Jolie, no. For one, as lovely as Ms. Pitt is, she’s a little too old for the role. Or too young, actually, but looks too old… For another thing, as the only character among the main characters who we know is of Asian descent (she’s from Singapore), I think that ought to be kept in a live-action adaptation, to respect the source. Can’t tell me it’s going to be hard to find an attractive Asian woman to play her…
Regarding the Wachowskis, HELLS no. What they did to Speed Racer was criminal, and it’s evident to most people that they blew their collective creative load about halfway through Reloaded (you can thank Hugo Weaving and the source material for making V for Vendetta watchable). No. Again I say, no.
Sunrise really blew it. They should have given Cowboy Bebop to Pixar instead of Fox… I mean, I’m sure Pixar could come up with an entertaining 3D CG story where Spike was a cowboy action figure, Jet was a spaceman action figure, Faye was a piggy bank, and Ein was a squad of elite green plastic army men. They could even have a catchphrase like “To space and beyond!” It’ll make billions.
Seriously, I’d toss both Spielberg, Cameron, Singer, and Whedon into the DO NOT WANT pile. What was the last good Spielberg movie that you saw? Hell, what was the last Spielberg movie you saw that he didn’t outsource? Cameron turned Battle Angel into the Duke Nukem Forever of anime-gone-Hollywood. I just get a bad vibe from Singer’s movies, even though I enjoyed X2. Whedon is known for his angst… do I want angst in my Bebop?
No, I want an entertaining action movie. I’ll go with Nolan and Favreau since they’re hot. Someone solid like McTeigue or Minkoff would be good too. But I thought about it more, and I think Snyder needs to be in the conversation as well, especially if Watchmen meets the hype.
I want an entertaining action movie
Oh, so maybe you want Bruckheimer then? Too bad he’s busy filming a Prince of Persia adaptation. *gag*
And it’s good to know at least one other person agrees that Baccano would make great live-action material. Guy Richie really would be a perfect match.
As I just watched Bebop again, it hit me. For one movie they must concentarate to Spike/Vicious story. I like that story, but then they’ll miss all those great episodes, which mostly make Cowboy Bebop. There’s so much diversity with those small stories and I usually get a good feeling after one. But in the end movie will be what it will be. I can always watch orginal series again.
This possible movie adaptation could make or break the acceptance of Anime in mainstream America. When it comes to Hollywood, they always want to cash in on a trend. I pray to god that it stays faithful and learn from what happened with Speed Racer. Right now, I don’t really care about who will play what, but they need not to stray from what made Bebop Bebop. It wouldn’t hurt to see Yoko Kanno to do the music or even be some sort of a consultant.
There is but one anime I can think of which couldn’t get screwed up (easily) by Hollywood… since it conforms perfectly to the cliches.
BLACK LAGOON.
Hopefully they won’t have problems casting Ein.
http://www.firstshowing.net/20.....bop-movie/
….
Now, let’s hear that Luke-like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
“Whoa!”
Not like you can take those early rumors without a grain of salt. Remember when they said Decaprio as Anakin? Or Tom Cruise as Captain Pike.
NINJA SCROLL,COWBOY BEBOP AND DRAGONBALL MOVIES.
Fox is working on Dragonball movie and now doing the Cowboy Bebop movie plus other animes are going to movies including Astro Boy,Battle Angel and Ghost In The Shell also Ninja Scroll is going to the big screen
by Threshold Entertainment (Mortal Kombat).
Threshold’s Larry Kasanoff will get the announcements from Madhouse
on working the live Hollywood film feature of Ninja Scroll,Madhouse is still working on the Ninja Scroll anime sequel,Madhouse and Threshold will produce the live action Ninja Scroll,Sean Derek,Josh Wexler and Yoshiaki Kawajiri will write the script for the film.
Thank You.
BRUCE ACOSTA
AUSTRALIA.