‘Cowboy Bebop’ Director Comments On Hollywood’s Live-Action Casting

When it comes to live-action anime, things that can go wrong will go wrong. Everything from the script to production are suspect, but few things can go as wrong as casting. If you do not get the right person to lead the project, fans will be out for blood. So, you can see why the casting of Hollywood’s live-action Cowboy Bebop film is important, and the anime’s director knows it.

Not long ago, Shinichiro Watanabe headed to Australia for an anime convention, and it was there IGN had a chance to speak with him about his long career. During the interview, Watanabe was asked about the plans to adapt Cowboy Bebop into a live-action TV series, and the man touched upon its casting.

Spoiler: casting is slow going.

“It doesn’t seem like they’ve decided on anybody yet,” the director admitted. “It sounds like they’re still in the middle of casting the main roles. In fact, there’s been a number of times we’ve talked about adapting it into a live-action however it’s been stopped several times. The project’s just halted. I’m not quite sure how this one will go this time.”

So, there you have it. It does not look like Tomorrow Studios and Sunrise have settled on the right actors to bring Bebop’s crew to life. In fact, Watanabe doesn’t even sound totally convinced the project is going to get past development given its live-action stumbling blocks in the past.

With the anime fandom ready to scrutinize this project’s main cast, Hollywood may want to listen to what fans are saying about its casting. Cowboy Bebop is such an iconic series that messing it up its live-action debut would only further sink Hollywood’s anime credibility. As far as fans are concerned, actors like Keanu Reeves, Daniel Wu, or Lee Pace are the kind Hollywood should be eyeing to play Spike at the very least. So, here’s to hoping the project’s casting calls are plentiful and powerful.

Which actors could you see playing Spike? What Faye and the rest of the crew? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!