A brand new image from Netflix's live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop shows off another look at John Cho as Spike Spiegel. The show, which will premiere on November 19, is a reworking of the legendary anime that premiered in 1997. Though it only had a 26-episode run, the sci-fi western telling the story of a group of spacefaring bounty hunters in the year 2071 is credited with helping popularize the anime art form with Western audiences.
John Cho stars in Cowboy Bebop as Spike Spiegel, the captain of the ship, Bebop. The rogue faked his death to escape working for the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate and is now on the hunt for criminals himself, along with his partner Jet Black. Throughout the series, a former Red Dragon compatriot named Vicious tries to track him down and kill him.
EW has shared a brand-new image from the show, in which a suave, sunglasses-sporting Spike strolls through a run-down plaza. Cowboy Bebop is not trying to be a direct adaptation of the anime, but this image shows how it will be capturing that effortlessly cool tone of the original series. There unfortunately aren't many plot details to be gleaned from this image, but it's a glimpse at a brand new location from the show that hasn't been seen before. The set dressers have given their all to combining the science-fiction and old West vibes into one cohesive unit. Check out the image below:
One major change from the source material that can be seen in this image is the hair. John Cho acknowledges it's very different from Spike Spiegel's hair in the Cowboy Bebop anime, in an attempt to look as natural as possible in live-action. The other cast members, including Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black, Daniella Pineda as Faye Valentine, Alex Hassell as Vicious, and Elena Satine as Julia, have faced down similar challenges as well.
As long as Cowboy Bebop manages to capture the spirit of the original anime, they will be able to justify as many minor changes as they want. The show has an uphill climb, though, considering how attached the fanbase is to this iconic series, which many consider to be the anime. Regardless of how Netflix's show turns out, it is still invigorating to know that Spike and his crew are having new life breathed into them after so many years, bringing these characters to a new generation who will inevitably be drawn to the original anime and fall in love with that as well.
Source: EW