Japanese Anime 'Cowboy Bebop' Gets Live-Action TV Series Reboot
Reports have it that the popular Japanese anime series "Cowboy Bebop" is getting a live-action reboot for TV but fans are not on board with the plan.
"Cowboy Bebop" first aired in Japan in 1998. Then in 2001, it became the first Japanese anime to be broadcasted on the programming block Adult Swim — a division of the American cable channel Cartoon Network that airs at nighttime and targets the older demographic.
To those not familiar with the successful anime franchise, "Cowboy Bebop" is set in 2071 where the Earth is not very safe for human life coupled with the intensified rise in crime rate.
To address that, the authorities hire bounty hunters, also referred to in the show as Cowboys, who get paid by bringing in crooks alive. The main characters in the series are Cowboys who all go around in a spaceship named Bebop, which explains the title.
Tomorrow Studios and Midnight Radio are collaborating to produce the live-action TV adaptation of "Cowboy Bebop." The creator of the original series, Sunrise, is also attached to producing the upcoming show.
Marty Adelstein of Tomorrow Studios commented on the project (via Deadline): "We are excited to work with Sunrise in bringing this beloved anime to the U.S. and global marketplace as a live-action series. The animated version has long resonated with audiences worldwide, and with the continued, ever growing, popularity of anime, we believe a live action version will have an incredible impact today."
Unfortunately, many fans are not happy about the project and are worried of how it will turn out.
One Twitter user reacted by saying: "NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! DID GHOST IN THE SHELL , DRAGON BALL EVOLUTION AND SPEED RACER TEACH YOU NOTHING?!?"
As Polygon noted, there is a trend for remakes of Japanese anime or manga franchises to flop once they are taken into the Western filmmaking realm. The publication cited "The Last Airbender," "Dragonball Evolution" and "Speed Racer" as examples.
