Cowboy Bebop Live-Action: Casting Discussion
Alright! So, I read all the posts people have made regarding the live-action and wanted to respond to some and open up a discussion on the topic more formally.
First off, I appreciate the fact that no one was attacking each other in the reblogs/comment section despite dissenting and agreeing opinions having been posted. I understand that this is a super touchy topic, especially in today’s global political climate, but it’s really great to see people being able to voice their opinions on the internet without immediately attacking one another.
Moving on... Everyone brought up decent points regarding why they felt they disliked or liked the live-action casting roles. Some believed that the casting was poor, because the actors do not resemble their anime predecessors, while others were either excited to see diverse casting and/or cautiously optimistic (as @kallypsowrites eloquently puts it) about how the cast members will be able to recreate these iconic characters.
@frasohei also brought up a point I can’t believe I didn’t notice in the beginning. Who is playing Ed? The fact that they’re quiet on Ed, who plays a huge role in the story, is somewhat of a red flag to me. In general, casting choices are hidden if the producers know for a fact that the general audience won’t agree, however, like always, I’m willing to withhold judgement until seeing the actual product.
As for my own opinion, going down the list, I did not expect John Cho to be a pick for Spike, but I’m not entirely surprised. As of late, Cho has become a popular Korean-American male actor in Hollywood, and I can see the producers choosing him both because of his heritage based on the origin of the show (Hollywood, unfortunately, tends not to care if you’re Korean or Japanese so long as you’re Asian), and because he is a known face both from his early career as “Harold” from Harold and Kumar and as “Sulu” from the modern Star Trek movies.Â
Although, I haven’t seen him play characters similar to how Spike is represented, that doesn’t mean he isn’t capable - on the same token it also doesn’t mean he is. However, that is a fact that remains to be seen when the show comes out, and I’m excited to see what he’ll do.
Mustafa Shakir as Jet also wasn’t someone I imagined playing Jet, but, honestly, I didn’t have any other pick in mind, so I can’t really say much on his character. Faye and Vicious, to me, are the more interesting choices. I’m curious to see how both actors will transform their characters into a live-action scene, especially Vicious since, as @dexer-von-dexer mentioned, Hassel doesn’t appear to be the lawless katana toting type, but, again, I want to withhold judgement until the actual release.
In essence, while I realize that not everyone looks like they do in the anime, I feel that the show should still be given a chance - a real chance to either break the curse of live-actions being terrible, or to follow in the footsteps of the anime before it.
I am hoping for the simple fact that Bebop is such an iconic anime that it will be the one show that will be able to go against the odds and be as great as the original or, at the very least, stand on its own and cultivate the show for younger audiences coming up.
Like always, I’d love to hear everyone’s opinion. What do you think about Ed’s lack of a casting reveal and how willing are you to give the live-action a watch when it comes out? Thank you for reading, see you next update! :)
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