Netflix's Cowboy Bebop Will Expand Julia's Role
This November, Netflix is giving us a brand new take on the adventures of Spike Spiegel, Faye Valentine, Jet Black, and the data dog Ein as they traverse the galaxy aboard their spaceship, The Bebop, with the streaming service's live-action adaptation of the beloved anime franchise. Now, in a recent interview, showrunner Andre Nemec went into detail regarding how the upcoming live-action series is making some big changes when it comes to the character Julia, played by Elena Satine when it comes to her role in Cowboy Bebop and the amount of screen time that she will receive.
Julia played a pivotal role in the "main storyline" of the series, in which Spike's background is further explored and we get flashes of his past when it comes to interacting with both his lady love and his dangerous rival, Vicious. Nemec didn't mince words in his interview with Polygon when it came to the femme fatale's role in the upcoming adaptation, noting that the creative minds behind the series are looking to expand her character and add more insight into who she was:
"In the anime, she's almost more of an idea than a character. So we mined what we could from the information that we had and we built out who these people were."
Netflix released an official description of Julia's character in the build-up to the upcoming live-action series which will star Elena Satine alongside the likes of John Cho, Daniella Pineda, and Mustafa Shakir:
"With a sultry beauty and a voice to die for, Julia is the dream-like object of Spike Spiegel's desire. She struggles to survive in a violent world."
Unfortunately for Julia, she did not make it out alive from the Cowboy Bebop anime, with one of the last moments also seeing Spike dying in his final battle against Vicious. With the creative minds behind the upcoming live-action series making some changes and preparing for a second season, it will be interesting to see if the adaptation will make changes to the finale of the anime that has become so beloved in the medium.
Are you looking forward to seeing an expanded role for Julia? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Bebop.