After a coy tease on Twitter, we’re now getting a brand-new look at the upcoming live-action Netflix adaptation of Cowboy Bebop.
It gives us the closest look yet of what the tone of the show will be after months of headlines centering around leading man John Cho’s hair, showrunner André Nemec’s reported commitment to the original anime source material and controversy regarding Gren’s portrayal by nonbinary actor Mason Alexander Park.
In addition to Cho’s Spike Spiegel, Daniella Pineda and Mustafa Shakir round out the central trio as Faye Valentine and Jet Black.
Original anime series director Shinichiro Watanabe is also involved behind the scenes as a consultant, as well as composer Yoko Kanno.
Check out Netflix’s official synopsis below:
“Long on style and perpetually short on cash, bounty hunters Spike, Jet and Faye trawl the solar system looking for jobs. But can they outrun Spike’s past?
If you need to catch up on the original anime, the entire 26-episode run of the 1998 show is coming to Netflix on October 21st, 2021. Though the show is already available for Hulu subscribers, this new arrival will represent the first time the show will be available worldwide for everyone at once.
While fans are hopeful that the show may ring true to its source material due to the aforementioned commitment from its creators, Netflix’s past handling of anime and adaptions have not always been met warmly by fans. For instance, Netflix’s changes to the dub of Neon Genesis Evangelion were met with some outcry, and its live-action Death Note adaptation was met with a lukewarm reception.
We’ll have to see if the show is a homerun—or far from it—when Cowboy Bebop comes to Netflix on November 19th.