Netflix has ordered the planned live-action adaptation of the iconic anime series “Cowboy Bebop,” Variety has learned.
The series is described as the jazz-inspired, genre-bending story of Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine and Radical Ed, a rag-tag crew of bounty hunters on the run from their pasts as they hunt down the solar system’s most dangerous criminals. They’ll even save the world for the right price.
The series, which hails from Tomorrow Studios, has been in the works since last year. Netflix has ordered 10 episodes.
Shinichiro Watanabe, director of the original anime, will serve as a consultant on the project. Christopher Yost, who previously penned “Thor: The Dark World” and “Thor: Ragnarok”, will write the first episode and executive produce. Andre Nemec, Josh Appelbaum, Jeff Pinkner, and Scott Rosenberg of Midnight Radio will serve as executive producers. Yasuo Miyakawa, Masayuki Ozaki, and Shin Sasaki of Sunrise Inc.– the studio behind the original series–will also executive produce along with Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements of Tomorrow Studios, Tetsu Fujimura, and Matthew Weinberg. The series is a co-production between Netflix and Tomorrow Studios, with Netflix handling physical production.
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“Cowboy Bebop” proved to be a major commercial and critical success despite the fact the entire television series consists of just 26 episodes. It has inspired two manga series and an anime film, the latter of which was released in the U.S. in 2003.
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The announcement comes as Netflix has been pushing more and more into the anime space, with the streamer having ordered multiple original anime shows, including one based on “Pacific Rim.” Last year, Netflix released a live-action adaptation of the manga “Death Note” starring Nat Wolff, Lakeith Stanfield, and Margaret Qualley.
This is also the latest instance of Netflix adapting an animated series into a live-action series. Back in September, it was announced that a live-action “Avatar: The Last Airbender” series was in the works at Netflix with original creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko onboard as showrunners.