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Netflix is making a live-action version of classic anime Cowboy Bebop

Netflix is making a live-action version of classic anime Cowboy Bebop

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Netflix has announced a new live-action series based on the much-loved 1998 anime Cowboy Bebop. The streaming service is co-producing the 10-episode series with Tomorrow Studios. No release date has been set as of yet.

Netflix describes Cowboy Bebop 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.” Cowboy Bebop originally ran for 26 episodes and is renowned for its unique blend of noir and western influences. It also has a very good jazzy soundtrack by Yoko Kanno.

The live-action adaptation was first reported to be in the works last year. Showrunners include Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol co-writers Andre Nemec and Josh Appelbaum along with Venom and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle co-writers Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. The first episode is written by Christopher Yost (Thor: The Dark World and Ragnarok). Original anime director Shinichiro Watanabe is on board as a consultant.

The new series is yet more evidence of Netflix’s ambition to court anime viewers worldwide. Yesterday the company announced that it had acquired the rights to legendary series Neon Genesis Evangelion, while last year it released a questionable live-action movie based on Death Note. Its forays into producing original animation, such as Aggretsuko and Castlevania, have tended to be more successful.