‘Cowboy Bebop’ Will Stay True to the Show

Posted by Dr. Cole Abaius (cole.abaius@filmschoolrejects.com) on June 25, 2009

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In a very cool interview over at Anime Vice, Peter Craig, the screenwriter for the forthcoming Cowboy Bebop adaptation, talked a bit about how he got on board and how he plans to tackle the project. Unfortunately, he made no mention of his being a secret assassin that will take out Keanu Reeves before he has a chance to do any acting. And by “acting,” I mean “talking soporifically and walking without walking into walls.”

Here’s a rundown of the talking points:

  • Craig admitted to being an odd choice of screenwriter since his work is mainly in novels, and mainly in dark comedic looks at strained father-child relationships.
  • He had seen the show before learning of the assignment, but became obsessed with it after Fox sent him every episode (including a few that never aired in the U.S., lucky bastard).
  • He met with studio Sunrise, original show director Shinichiro Watanabe and Keanu Reeves in December to go over ideas and details.
  • Watanabe has been closely involved in the process, and Craig is close to finishing a first draft that’s incredibly faithful to the show.
  • Fox is already looking to hire a production designer that can recreate the world “as closely as possible.”

I’m still really not looking forward at all in the slightest ever in any way to Keanu Reeves stilting his way around Spike’s character, but Watanabe’s inclusion in the process is really a relief. It’s not necessarily that a creator’s seal of approval will guarantee a great movie, but it goes a long way toward one. I say, Fox needs to keep a bunch of comfortable chairs on set for Watanabe and studio Sunrise.

What do you think?


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  • blink
    If you want to stay true to the show… Don't make a live action movie ;)
  • I think this whole thing stinks. No amount of set design or input from the original creative team is going to be able to counterbalance Keanu's butchering of the show's lifeblood, it's protagonist. Maybe, MAYBE if Keanu were appropriately aged to play the role and still had that weird but palpable spark he seemed to possess in his youth, MAYBE it would be tolerable. But unless he suffers head trauma that suddenly enables him to behave like a human being on screen, it's going to be wretched. Especially knowing that Lee Pace is around to play the role, and is the ONLY reasonable choice to play Spike.

    Also, being incredibly faithful to the show is worth precisely BALLS. Being incredibly faithful to the show means that no one is going to understand what's happening, ever, because to be incredibly faithful to the show you would have to produce either a) a quirky stand alone adventure story or b) a Spike's-Epic-Past story, and half of what makes Spike's epic past so interesting is that the audience is NEVER given it in full and it takes 26 episodes to play out.

    If you'll go back and read the interviews with Keanu and his manager from some months ago that got put up on (how promising) MTV, you'll find that their intent was, at that time, to create a storyline that revolved around the Red Eye drug, and that went ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE SERIES. TO THE END.

    Tell me that isn't one of the worst ideas you have ever heard in your life ever. EVER.

    I am not going to harbor so much as a GLIMMER of hope for this. I will seethe and be miserable and heartbroken until it opens and I am proven right, or am gloriously and unexpectedly proven wrong.

    Ten bucks says it sucks, though.

    The only consolation to draw from this is that through marketing tie-ins, we'll probably be given Cowboy Bebop on Blue Ray. So that'll be nice.
  • Mladen
    Lets hope it goes the way of Leonardo DiCaprio's Akira
  • I've got nothing against Keanu Reeves per se, I just happen to hate the majority of projects he's been involved with. That said, being an obsessive fan of the show, I can not even begin to imagine how he will fit the bill as Spike Spiegel. Him being cast in that role is either a result of a visionary director or a dumb blind fuck of a moron.

    I'm hoping on the former, but knowing Hollywood - it's probably the latter.
  • Guest
    This project needs to die. Period. Full Stop. Nothing good can come of this.
  • Mladen
    I have this eerie premonition that they're going to do Ein in cg and have him talk (I'm picturing voiced in that Brooklyn accent they always give dogs in movies)
  • John Usef
    keanu did Constantine, and it ddid great! He pulled it off. I have no doubt in my mind that he can pull off Spike Seigel also. Keanu is a good actor. If he were not he wouldnot have the career he has. His moves alwys sell, you cannot do that on goodlook alone.

    everyboy and their mother is a danmed critic today. Funny isnt it? NOT! Keanu maneges to sell lots of movie tickets. Strange how only the HATERS seem to write negative comments on these boards,nothing to do but bash Mr. Reeves.

    I want him to do Spike. He has the look, and I want him to be so good in it, he makes you eat your words.
    Go "Get em" Keanu.
  • Al
    I read the interview... and while it makes me feel a slight bit better... I can't help but be a little fanboy about him saying "Sony sent me every episode including a few that had never aired in the U.S."...there are only 26 episodes and ALL of them have been aired on Adult Swim...if he's "obsessed" with the show he should have known that...if anything you could technically just read posting comments to see what fans are so upset about and then mention them so everyone shuts up and doesn't voice their negative opinion on the project. I love Bebop and i'm really saddened that they want to make a film out of it...if anything read Ross Fenelon post sums everything up...
  • Al
  • Chris Johnson
    There is no way in hell Spikes character will be done justice to as long as Keanu Reeves is set to play him. He was very much a character in the piece - an interesting and beautiful one at that - and Keanu Reeves, as much of a niece guy as he is, CANNOT ACT A BEAT. Nothing. He is completely void of charisma which is central to this character and the only way spike would work on the big screen. The character will need charisma to win over the audience because it's his story that matters most:- y'know what, I'm just gonna wait for the movie.
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