34 replies to this topic

[DiGi Valentine]

I had not known about this until Kichi mentioned it in the Dragon Ball movie topic...but YES, apparently they are going to make a live-action Cowboy Bebop movie. How cool could this be if they nail it perfectly? XD

Read a bit more - here

It seems they wanna make it as close to the original as possible, according to what that article says.

Oh god, please cast them up properly. I wanna see justice done to these characters.

Anyways, discuss your hopes for this and if you come across any news then post it here.

[YamiLover13]

Oh my god......

Please, please be done right! I doubt it but I will wish. I actually like this series quite a bit. I will cry if this sucks.

Whats with all the Live action stuff all of a sudden?

[Mitsuu]

Oh my god......

Please, please be done right! I doubt it but I will wish. I actually like this series quite a bit. I will cry if this sucks.

Whats with all the Live action stuff all of a sudden?

It's not all of sudden, this forum is just a bit slow in getting info I guess. That or its members don't like making topics about really neat stuff like this when they hear about, like me. There's also supposed to be a Neon Genesis Evangelion movie.

This is one of those things where it's either really awesome, or so totally lame(Eragon, worst movie ever made and I'm not exaggerating in any way just go watch it to see what I mean). I hope the actors chosen actually somewhat look like the characters and don't sound like the horrendous voice actors for the English version of the show. Y'Know, Disney is at least good at choosing good voice actors(points to the Miyazaki films).

[viperxmns]

I really hope that rumor of casting Keanu Reeves as Spike is complete bullplop. Because that would be ridiculous.

[Saifer Dracondrali]

ooooooo boy...
unlike dbz I actually like cowboy beebop...
I jus hope they don't screw it up...
I know I'm always pessimistic about this kinda stuff but...
can fox REALLY capture the true Cowboy Beebop?

[Kichigai]

I really hope that rumor of casting Keanu Reeves as Spike is complete bullplop. Because that would be ridiculous.

That rumor was probably fueled by the fact Keanu Reeves was in the Matrix and Scanner Darkly who Erwin Stoff was the producer of.

[DiGi Valentine]

I really hope that rumor of casting Keanu Reeves as Spike is complete bullplop. Because that would be ridiculous.

I hope it ain't Keanu either, being honest. They need someone who can really bring Spike's character out and i just can't see Keanu doing that.

I saw a fan poster that someone had made in regards to who they think should be the actors and they put Johnny Depp as Spike. Odd choice but Johnny is known for being able to do a variety of characters. Maybe he could pull off a Spike Spiegel.

Who do you guys think would make a good Spike Spiegel?

[Nemoide]

This sounds like an adaptation with some serious potential! As long as the director and choreographer know what they're doing, this could be really awesome.


Oh, and should I bring up the live action Akira movies, the first one set to come out next year?

[iLLViLLAiN]

So many remakes and live action movies from tv series that have come and gone.

[Dark Magician]

Oh no, the mixed feelings are arising again...

I just hope that they don't do like they did with Transformers and have some completely random character that they just made-up outshine Spike (Optimus should've won that fight against Megatron, not the kid ). But I don't know, I have kind of mixed feelings about this... some live actions came out good while others didn't.

[venomnights15]

Well I would watch it, I just recently got the theme song on my iPod.

[Golden Charm]

Wow, I totally hadn't seen this, guess thats what happens when I don't visit. XD

WANT.
I really like this news, if its still the same writers, at least, I think it can be something REALLY enjoyable, even if the people hired can only 'half' act.

I do agree though, they totally need to cast true to looks in this case... A buff Spike Spiegel, nothankyou.

[Dex la Cabra]

there has been quite a bit said about it in NEO, aswell as the fullmetal alchemist series 2.

[viperxmns]

Uh oh

http://www.aintitcoo...86?q=node/39486

[ViCE]

EEEEEEERGH...

(Okay... if they botch Ed, I'm going to give uo faith...)

[Nemoide]

Wait, they are only expanding on the first episode? So no Faye, Ed, or Ein? LAME!

Keanu Reeves as Spike? It could work. It is not like Spike ever gives intellectual monologues or anything.

[viperxmns]

Whatever happens, Spike's actor better grow the hair, or else.

[DiGi Valentine]

Keanu, eh? I heard they were considering him a few months ago so they probably had him in mind since the beginning.
I dunno if he'll pull it off though. Spike kinda has that warm yet sly grin that he uses sometimes and he has a very laid back and loose approach to things. Keanu sometimes comes off as being quite stern and solid with his facial expressions.

I saw a fan-made mock advertising poster a while ago and whoever made it had put Johnny Depp as Spike. Personaly, i can see Johnny doing a better job as Spike than Keanu but oh well, fan stuff is fan stuff.

I don't think Keanu has been given the part just yet though. That article did say 'he hopes' to play the part of Spike.

As for the hair thing. I really want them to make an effort. To me, the whole point of making a live-action movie of an anime is seeing how well the anime designs incorporate well into real life. Looking at that bloody Dragon Ball movie coming out, does it at all feel like a Dragon Ball movie? Nope, it certainly doesn't and part of that is because it does not look like anything we've come to know of Dragon Ball over the years.

As for them only making the first episode as a live action movie, i'm guessing they're thinking long term. They probably wanna cash in on this for the long run so they're looking at sequels where they'll bring the other characters in. It seems to be the trend nowadays. Most movies seem to come in 3 parts with other characters being added in later movies.

I hope for the sake of the audience that enjoyed Cowboy Bebop that they stay true to anime.
Don't mess it up.

[viperxmns]

One thing I'd really look forward to in this movie is a live Swordfish II. That would be awesome.

Another note about the hair, Keanu's black can stay, the green would probably be a bit much, but I do expect the style, as well as outfit. The most outlandish thing otherwise is Jet's beard.

[DylanJohn]

Cowboy Bebop seems to be one of those things that could work pretty well as a live-action movie, provided it's done properly. Hopefully they'll pull it off.

I'm reserving judgement on a possible Keanu Spike. He wouldn't really be my first choice, but you never know how it'd turn out. I'd wait to at least see something like a trailer before forming any sort of opinion either way.

[viperxmns]

<a href="http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/188899/kea...ebop_movie.html" target="_blank">http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/188899/kea...ebop_movie.html</a>
http://www.animenews...ially-announced

[DiGi Valentine]

Oh, for f*** sakes. >.< Another potentially good license of a film gone to waste.

Ya know, i was watching Fight Club the other night and it occured to me that Brad Pitt is a really versatile actor, he could so easily be cast as a great Spike. Maybe the look wouldn't have been exactly there but they could have worked on it. Keanu, however....urgh, damn it. Spike is a quiet character but he has a certain smooth charm and humour to him. Keanu will never be able to portray that. If this film releases and he's somehow managed to nail his characteristics then it could potentially give people something nice to say about him. Until then, he's slated to ruin one of my personal favourite characters in Anime history.

[Dex la Cabra]

Oh, for f*** sakes. >.< Another potentially good license of a film gone to waste.

Ya know, i was watching Fight Club the other night and it occured to me that Brad Pitt is a really versatile actor, he could so easily be cast as a great Spike. Maybe the look wouldn't have been exactly there but they could have worked on it. Keanu, however....urgh, damn it. Spike is a quiet character but he has a certain smooth charm and humour to him. Keanu will never be able to portray that. If this film releases and he's somehow managed to nail his characteristics then it could potentially give people something nice to say about him. Until then, he's slated to ruin one of my personal favourite characters in Anime history.

i couldn't agree more!

[Dark Magician]

So Keanu Reeves is really going to be Spike, huh? I just pray that he does like Vic Mignona did for Edward Elric and works on portraying the character beforehand to the point of perfection. But we still have to wonder who the other charatcers are going to played by, and I'm honestly getting nightmares thinking about it. But even more than that, we have to worry about whether or not they'll be able to capture the feel that fans were given in the anime.

[DiGi Valentine]

You know, i finally got around to seeing the Cowboy Bebop Animated Movie the other night. I loved it. I absolutely loved it. Cowboy Bebop is perfect in so many ways, it has honestly become one of my favourite anime's of all time, along side Samurai Champloo.
Cowboy Bebop is, to me, the greatest anime which portrays emotion between a bunch of characters that have completely different personalities yet in the end they all feel for eachother and it shows wonderfully between their interactions.
Someone as self-centred as Faye Valentine even shows she cares on the last episode when Spike is about to leave.
To me, they can never recreate this feeling that the characters have if Keanu Reeves is playing Spike. Literaly, the main character who shows a fantastic form of self-confidence yet cracks a smile and has those characteristcs complimented by the rest of the cast can not be recreated on the big screen by Keanu.

This film won't have the same feeling that the series or the OAV had and that's a really big shame.
I know i shouldn't be judging this before it's even started filming yet but reviews on Keanu Reeves have been true to the point and the fact of the matter is he's stern in the face like someone just froze his balls. He won't nail Spike Spiegel and that's one fourth of the film already ruined. He won't be able to build that essence that was captured in the anime, it's next to impossible to see characters interact so perfectly like that.

I want nothing more than for this movie to be fantastic, i want it to really be considered another solid point in Cowboy Bebop's successful list of releases....but i honestly can not see that happening.

After watching the OAV the other night it really dawned on me how well those characters were crafted. All 4 of them, perfect. I came to realise there was not one character out of those 4 that i didn't like, i loved them all dearly. They would honestly need VERY good actors to portray those kinds of bonds in a live action film. Keanu Reeves is not a good choice for this movie and with any luck the film makers will see the response this news is already having and drop Keanu from the film.

--edit--
I was just reading the Wiki on Cowboy Bebop and this came to my eye, though we already heard this before from the beginning -

It has also been confirmed through Variety in a January 15, 2009 article, that the production company, Sunrise, Inc., will be "closely involved with the development of the English language project" and that Kenji Uchida, Shinichiro Watanabe, and series writer Keiko Nobumoto has been confirmed to be associate producers and that series producer Masahiko Minami has been confirmed as a production consultant.

They said this when the news of a Cowboy Bebop movie started circulating on the net however i'm glad to see the name Watanabe in there. He feels very very strongly for the good of the series and i'm hoping that he'll see Keanu doing a bad job and remove him from the film. Either that or Watanabe kicks Keanu's arse into character.
Seriously, the only thing keeping me hopeful in any shape or form for this movie to be a success is the fact that it's creators, the people responsible for making Cowboy Bebop as legendary as it is, are working on this film. I just hope they speak up when they see something they feel is wrong and don't let it slide because if anybody can save this film from going down a Street Fighter/Dragon Ball path it's the people who gave it to us in the first place.

[Golden Charm]

I wasn't aware the people who did the anime were working on the film. That is truly good news. ^^

I did think that Keanu Reeves could have pulled it off if the writers were good, which we know they are now...but I'm now beginning to see the issue everyone has, mainly its no good waiting to see if he pulls it off, because if he doesn't by the time we know about it it'll be too late.
In this instance, there is a true magic to Cowboy Bebop...and it would truly suck if got ruined by a 'maybe' situation with could have been avoided.

However, if that turns out to be the only thing wrong with it, if it does turn out to be a problem, I'd say it'd still rate VERY high on the chart of anime->Live after some of the more recent, laughable attempts. Like Dragonball...I really do try to actually see something from end-to-end before I form an opinion of it...but that however, looks so dire I can't help but shudder at it.

[SeeSayLeki]

Mmm, I haven't even gotten off my lazy butt to watch the DBZ one. X3 (Although, I know everyone complains there wasn't enough CGI effects, and over the fact that Goku was WHITE.

I heard Keanu was playing Spike.... well.... MAYBE. But Keanu is way to COOL natured and calm and frowny to play the spunky, lazy Spike. I don't think he can pull off the cocky attitude. Has anyone realize he almost never smiles/grins? o___O Or is it just me?! >w<

I wanna see a Vicious character though. They need to pull him off. <3 And they'll need a contortionist for Ed. XDDD

[Dex la Cabra]

circles and eyeballs, circles are pretty, a tasty wonderful, just like black gravy! HERE IT IS! cherious medical!

[viperxmns]

http://www.animevice...bop-flick/1552/

[DiGi Valentine]

Well, it looks like we're really stuck with Keanu then.




...sh!t

[viperxmns]

Small article- http://www.cartoonle...e-action-movie/

[venomnights15]

Keanu Reeves in cowboy bebop NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[leox001]

Cowboy Bebop.... why....

The series And movie are just PERFECT in every department, it has a style I CAN imagine in a live action movie, but CAN'T imagine it being near as close to "Knocking on Heaven's Door".
I just can't imagine any actor in the role of Spike Siegel, and Keanu Reeves....


WHYYYY

Oh and... Ed... I bet they will scrap that character for the movie, who can play an androginous super-freakish but cute girl like Ed properly?

Oh and I just checked the dates of these posts... I'm a bit late posting here

[iLLViLLAiN]

You know, in that comparison image, Keanu Reeves looks a lot like Spike. The only thing is, his voice probably won't sound much like Spike's voice which would be a shame.

[DiGi Valentine]

You know, in that comparison image, Keanu Reeves looks a lot like Spike.

I'd agree with you if it wasn't for one little character-destroying thing - Keanu ain't smiling. Hell, he ain't even smirking. I get the feeling they'll make Keanu look the part, i'd even say the hair looks good if that image is anything to go by, but Spike's character is tough to pull off. Spike is laid-back and chilled, showing a charming kinda arrogance. Keanu? ten to one says he's going to be a Neo all over again ...but i'd love to be proven wrong on that.