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The Live-Action Cowboy Bebop Cast Is Diverse & Fans Are Excited AF
John Cho is playing Spike Spiegel?! HECK YES!!
The cast of Netflix’s upcoming, live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop has finally been revealed—and it's diverse AF!!!
\u201cHi amigos and all 300,000 bounty hunters in the star system! Happy to announce that @JohnTheCho, @_mustafashakir_, @Maniella, and Alex Hassell have been cast in the #CowboyBebop Live Action TV Drama.\u201d— Netflix Geeked (@Netflix Geeked) 1554394615
\u201cSPIKE...\nHaunted by visions of the woman he loved and lost, Julia, Spike\u2019s criminal past slowly catches up to him \u2014 putting him and the Bebop crew in the crosshairs of the solar system\u2019s most lethal criminal organization, the Syndicate.\u201d— Netflix Geeked (@Netflix Geeked) 1554394615
\u201cJET\u2026\nJet holds tight to his honor and optimism, acting as a father figure to his misfit crew, always seeing the best in his partner, Spike\u2026 until it\u2019s too late.\u201d— Netflix Geeked (@Netflix Geeked) 1554394615
\u201cFAYE\u2026\nShe\u2019s always on the search for the person with the key to her identity. In the meantime, she\u2019ll fake it till she makes it.\u201d— Netflix Geeked (@Netflix Geeked) 1554394615
\u201cVICIOUS\u2026\nOnce he was Spike\u2019s best friend, now he\u2019s his mortal enemy and is obsessed with taking him down.\u201d— Netflix Geeked (@Netflix Geeked) 1554394615
When the 10-episode series was first announced back in November of last year, many critics and fans were rightfully skeptical.
Considering all the whitewashing that has been done to Western versions of some of the most beloved anime titles (*cough* Ghost in the Shell *cough*), a lot of viewers were expecting the worst when it came to who would play the motley crew of bountry hunters traveling space and hunting down bad guys.
But with Netflix's formal announcement that actors John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, Danielle Pineda, and Alex Hassell would be joining the main cast, many fans were relieved that this project would be free of any whitewashing controversy. And they let their feelings be known on the interwebs.
\u201ccho is obviously the most perfect choice netflix could make but shakir as jet is inspiredddddddddd\u201d— \ud83d\udc1b Emma Stefansky \ud83d\udc1b (@\ud83d\udc1b Emma Stefansky \ud83d\udc1b) 1554394886
\u201cJohn Cho starring as Spike Spiegel in Netflix's live action #CowboyBebop series has cured my depression, cleared my skin, watered my crops, etc. \n\nFull story on @nerdist: https://t.co/d34nO0ReIE\u201d— Dan Casey (@Dan Casey) 1554396355
\u201cjohn! cho! as! spike! spiegel! \n\nan ATTACK\n\nhttps://t.co/5RhKWjAD89\u201d— discourse wallah (@discourse wallah) 1554393928
\u201cTHAT COWBOY BEBOP CAST NEWS!! I AM REAAAADYYYYYY! #HellYES\u201d— Paulina Ganucheau (@Paulina Ganucheau) 1554398503
\u201cNetflix's Cowboy Bebop cast\n\nJohn Cho as Spike Spiegel\nMustafa Shakir as Jet Black\nDaniella Pineda as Faye Valentine\n\nThis is actually happening, my God.\u201d— XenoGameSpark Chronicles 3 (@XenoGameSpark Chronicles 3) 1554396165
For viewers unfamiliar with the series (are you living under a rock???), Cowboy Bebop follows the misadventures of a team of bounty hunters as they travel space in a ship named the Bebop. With it's mixture of Western and Sci-Fi themes, the 26-episode series is considered a classic amongst many anime fans, and is often credited as a gateway series that helped introduce Japanese animation to North American audiences. (You can watch it on Hulu, if you're so inclined!)
Now that we know who's playing who (though the part of Ed has still yet to be cast), we can't wait to see how Netflix's treats this legendary anime series! We're HYPED!
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Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, critic, and digital director of Out Magazine. The former editor-in-chief of PRIDE, he is also a die-hard Rihanna and Sailor Moon stan who loves to write about all things pop culture, entertainment, and identities. Follow him on Instagram (@raffyermac) and Twitter (@byraffy), and subscribe to his YouTube channel.
Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, critic, and digital director of Out Magazine. The former editor-in-chief of PRIDE, he is also a die-hard Rihanna and Sailor Moon stan who loves to write about all things pop culture, entertainment, and identities. Follow him on Instagram (@raffyermac) and Twitter (@byraffy), and subscribe to his YouTube channel.
