Exclusive: LIVE-ACTION 'COWBOY BEBOP' MOVIE IS IN THE WORKS
Producer Erwin Stoff reveals that he is developing a live-action adaptation of the iconic anime for Fox

By CHARLENE CHENG, News Editor
Published 7/22/2008

LOCATION: Beverly Hills, CA

THE SKINNY: If anybody is in the mood for some exhilarating, long-anticipated, previously-unannounced breaking news about anime series COWBOY BEBOP, iF Magazine has the exclusive scoop for you.

We caught up with producer-extraordinaire Erwin Stoff at the NBC TCAs where he was promoting his upcoming updated-David-and-Goliath-based show KINGS. When asked about other projects he is currently working on, Stoff, let slip some very juicy news about a very beloved anime franchise.

( “I’m developing COWBOY BEBOP for Fox, but doing it as a live-action film, so I’m working on that at the moment,” Stoff tells iF. )

My Thoughts: Oh please, please, please don't let this movie be godawful. I absolutely loved this series, and I'd hate to see it be dragged through the mud of terrible American big screen adaptation.

Feel free to make fun of the fact that I am ranting about anime here later; this is serious business. I am very picky about any animation I watch because I am a snob like that, and it's rare that I enjoy any sort of ongoing television series.

But, you guys, Cowboy Bebop was a FANtastic series - one of the few animated ones I ever looked forward to watching. The story, characters and quality of animation are all absolutely wonderful.

I can't even begin to imagine how they are going to handle the casting for this monster...

I mean, seriously.

The only way I would go see it is if they cast 1960's Bob Dylan as Spike Spiegel, and Laurence Fishburne as Jet Black.



Unfortunately, it seems time travel has not yet been invented due to LAZINESS. (Holy crap, science, all it takes is a DeLorean and a little plutonium!) That means Hollywood can't possibly cast non-old non-mustachioed non-cowboy hat wearin' Bob Dylan as Spike Spiegel. This presents quite the dilemma.

Or does it?

Is Jakob Dylan busy these days? I don't think he train smokes like his dad, but there are always bubble gum cigarettes. Plus, he's pretty easy on the eyes.



Schwing!

Ahem.

In summary, boo to Cowboy Bebop live action movie, hurrah for dark-haired men named Jakob!