The Cast For Netflix's Live Action Cowboy Bebop Series has been revealed

[j9ac9k]

I'm curious. I've never seen the anime or read the manga. Is the character Korean American?

I don't know about the character's origins, but his appearance was based on Japanese actor Yusaku Matsuda.

Here's a fun bit I found on Youtube:

[K. Jones]

Feels fitting to make Spike Asian as a nod to the series' roots, and Jet black given his English dub VA was also black.

I'm trying to remember, but wasn't Faye the only person in Bebop who was supposed to be Asian?

Strictly speaking, maybe? But race isn't exactly a crucial component to the show, lots of mixed-race is highly applicable for a far-flung future, gestures like casting an Asian actor avoid any white-washing scandal (John Cho is mixed, yeah? Best of both worlds?) and so on and so forth. It's a smart strategic move, a nice cultural gestural move, and generally just not a bad bit of casting.

Just pivoting on "race not a crucial component to the show" - culture assuredly is. Earth cultures live on and are represented in Bebop of course. Like big time. That's part of the whole hook ... seeing like, a "Little Arabia" town in a Martian dome ... or a very Chinatown neighborhood somewhere ... or tropes of American and Japanese gang crime ... but on space colonies or in space. Those things are hugely important.

Spike's last name is Spiegel, so you'd hope he'd have a dash of Germanic ancestry. Jet Black being a black dude is so on the nose that it's actually a good choice, not a cheesy choice. Cheeky, not cheesy. With the VA touch, too, yeah.

I like this casting. Not that I'm not ultra skeptical of a live-action Bebop. Bebop is "my thing" - my ultra fandom. The thing that I hold high on the pedestal of untouchable and feels like it was made for me. So I'm like "oh man they keep wanting to try to do it". But I'm still curious and interested. And love the Blade Runner type futures so much that seeing more of that realized in live-action makes me pretty happy.

I'd say I'm skeptical of the casting of Vicious. Not that dude can't pull off Vicious, just that Vicious is kind of ... foxier than Spike. And that dude is NOTTTTT foxier than John Cho.

[j9ac9k]

My initial thought is that Spike should be played by a younger actor, but I guess we'll see. Cho's an interesting choice - I don't recall him ever playing a character like Spike, but I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

[Angilasman]

Aging them up is sound. There's a tendency towards youthfulness in anime that's often awkward: Spike and Jet feel so much older then their official given ages in the anime.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Aging them up is sound. There's a tendency towards youthfulness in anime that's often awkward: Spike and Jet feel so much older then their official given ages in the anime.

Meh Spike's 27 in the series and I'd say anyone from 27-33 is probably a good fit for him. You can tell he's young but has lived a bit of life. I really wouldn't go any older than 35 for him. Jet is definitley on the younger side at 36. I'd probably peg him closer to 45-50. But Faye and Spike seem about on point.

[Punisher007]

I don't know about the character's origins, but his appearance was based on Japanese actor Yusaku Matsuda.

Here's a fun bit I found on Youtube:

He might be meant to be Jewish, given his last name and he also uses an Israeli Army gun.

[Angilasman]

Meh Spike's 27 in the series and I'd say anyone from 27-33 is probably a good fit for him. You can tell he's young but has lived a bit of life. I really wouldn't go any older than 35 for him. Jet is definitley on the younger side at 36. I'd probably peg him closer to 45-50. But Faye and Spike seem about on point.

Spike had left the mob and joined up with Jet three years before the series starts, right? It's hard for me to believe he would have had this huge career as a syndicate operative with all this intrigue and whatnot in the few years between his childhood ending and the age of 24.

[HowitzerJoe]

Aging them up is sound. There's a tendency towards youthfulness in anime that's often awkward: Spike and Jet feel so much older then their official given ages in the anime.

Jet I definitely agree. He's in his late 30's, but his depicted as an old grizzled veteran that has had a long police career. That didn't really make sense to me, especially in the Black Dog Serenade episode.

I just found out this news about the casting five minutes ago, and I was initially ticked because Cho is 46 years old, playing someone that is supposed to be about 27. But this will be a different take, and perhaps it's more realistic to age up some of the characters. The casting for Faye though...I know this is petty, but I don't think I'll get used to the actress's gap tooth smile. It really stood out in the Jurassic World film.

[j9ac9k]

... The casting for Faye though...I know this is petty, but I don't think I'll get used to the actress's gap tooth smile. It really stood out in the Jurassic World film.

Well, Faye isn't exactly a smiley person, so maybe it'll be okay.

[Ra-El]

I think Cho is old to play Spike, he is older than Mustafa Shakir, who have the right age to play jet in my opinion. Maybe is because I just watched Warrior, but I think that Andrew Koji would be a perfect choice to play Spike.