Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the Cowboy Bebop anime has just dropped its first big casting reveal: Harold and Kumar star John Cho is playing series lead, the bounty hunter (and cool guy) known as Spike; Luke Cage star Mustafa Shakir is playing Jet Black, Spike’s partner and captain of the Bebop ship; and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom star Daniella Pineda will play Faye Valentine, a bounty hunter with cryo-freeze amnesia who forms of tenuous partnership with Spike and Jet Black.
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Also included in the casting announcement is Alex Hassell as Vicious, Spike’s ex-partner who becomes his arch-enemy, as the Synidcate’s best (read: most ruthless) hitman.
Here’s the series of announcements and character details from Netflix:
“JOHN CHO (Star Trek) as Spike Spiegel — Spike Spiegel is an impossibly cool “cowboy” (bounty hunter) with a deadly smile, a wry wit, and style to spare. He travels the solar system with his ex-cop partner, Jet, pursuing the future’s most dangerous bounties with a combination of charm, charisma — and deadly Jeet Kune Do.”
SPIKE…
— NX (@NXOnNetflix) April 4, 2019
Haunted by visions of the woman he loved and lost, Julia, Spike’s criminal past slowly catches up to him — putting him and the Bebop crew in the crosshairs of the solar system’s most lethal criminal organization, the Syndicate. pic.twitter.com/NurBCkDyPO
“MUSTAFA SHAKIR (Marvel’s Luke Cage) as Jet Black — Jet Black was one of the few honest cops in the solar system before an ultimate betrayal robbed him of all that he loved, forcing him into a vagabond life of hunting bounties to put food on the table. Jet is an inveterate jazz enthusiast and Captain of the Bebop.”
JET…
— NX (@NXOnNetflix) April 4, 2019
Jet holds tight to his honor and optimism, acting as a father figure to his misfit crew, always seeing the best in his partner, Spike… until it’s too late. pic.twitter.com/X2fePKoM7E
“DANIELLA PINEDA (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) as Faye Valentine — Faye Valentine is a bold, brash and unpredictable bounty hunter. Suffering from amnesia after years of being cryogenically frozen, Faye does whatever it takes to survive. Whether she’s lying, stealing, or just being a thorn in Spike and Jet’s side.”
FAYE…
— NX (@NXOnNetflix) April 4, 2019
She’s always on the search for the person with the key to her identity. In the meantime, she’ll fake it till she makes it. pic.twitter.com/UJDP1ZDQeA
“ALEX HASSELL (Suburbicon) as Vicious — A man who thoroughly enjoys a good kill, Vicious is the Syndicate’s most notorious hitman. He’s also Spike Spiegel’s ex-partner and arch-enemy.”
VICIOUS…
— NX (@NXOnNetflix) April 4, 2019
Once he was Spike’s best friend, now he’s his mortal enemy and is obsessed with taking him down. pic.twitter.com/PWXmn023JD
A lot of Cowboy Bebop fans probably notice one big casting exclusion: Ed! Well, don’t worry, because Netflix addresses that in the official press release for the show:
“The following cast are confirmed. Meanwhile, Radical Ed is hacking in, but not cast just yet. Plus more cast to be announced.”
Cowboy Bebop is expected to start streaming on Netflix in late 2019.
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