Cowboy Bebop (live-action TV)

In 2008, it was reported that 20th Century Fox had a script, penned by Peter Craig, in circulation for the live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop, and were planning on developing the script into a movie. Anime creator Shinichiro Watanabe claimed to be on board with the idea, and was appointed as the executive producer, along with some of the original anime's writers. Although they still didn't have a director on their team, they were enthusiastic about the concept and planned to release the movie in 2011, with Keanu Reeves cast as Spike. Unfortunately, the movie missed its 2011 release date, and in 2013, Reeves commented on Reddit saying, "Cowboy Bebop does not look like it's going to happen with me in it. ...It would cost, like, half a billion dollars to make it...".

Kôichi Yamadera was enthusiastic about reprising his role as Spike Siegel: "Cowboy Bebop is an important work for me. I have long anticipated a live-action version. I can feel the strong respect it has toward the anime. I hope that viewers will see the atmosphere of the Spike character that I previously portrayed in John Cho's performance, who is skillfully taking on the role in this version. There are also many settings and developments that can only be pulled off in a live-action series. I hope that both people who love Cowboy Bebop and those who are new to the title can enjoy this new series!"

The production tried to use the original anime outfit for Faye Valentine, but it was not suitable for stunts. Daniella Pineda said, "You know, we tried with the original. But in the original outfit, which is so lovely, it's hard to hide stunt pads and gel pads and back plates and things you need when you're falling and kicking and doing stunts." Costume designer Jane Holland said the new outfit design for Faye was both aesthetically driven and practical in the live action adaptation.

In the original anime, Spike Siegel, Faye Valentine and Jet Black are 27, 23 and 33 years old respectively. In this show they are played by John Cho, Daniella Pineda and Mustafa Shakir, who at the time of filming were 49, 33 and 45 years respectively.

In a Syfy interview, showrunner André Nemec said that he purposely cast older actors in order to build richer stories for the characters. "If you are playing a cowboy with a broken heart, that's not typically a 20-something story," Nemec explains. "You're not quite old enough to carry the hardships of a cowboy. I think that really became clear to me that to really feel for these characters, to really want to track and live with them, they needed real depth of life experience in their soul. And that was something that John brought." Fans of the anime initially pushed back on John Cho's casting because of the age discrepancy, but showrunner André Nemec is an avid defender of the choice to age up. He said, "I can't imagine anyone being Spike Spiegel but John Cho because John brings a depth to the character. He's incredibly facile with humor. He's quick-witted. He can be laconic like Spike Spiegel. I think the anime had true moments of ennui, and true moments of dramatic pain that really did require someone, again, with that depth that John brought. While in the anime, it's okay to sort of play the younger version. But in today's world and in live action, the actor needed to be able to bring that essence as well. And that just required a more mature actor."

This show was originally going to have a second season, but due to low ratings on Netflix it was canceled.

Showrunner André Nemec said he didn't watch much other anime or even live-action anime adaptations when preparing for Cowboy Bebop.

When asked how much involvement he had as a contributor for this show, Shinichiro Watanabe simply said none. While he is credited as a consultant, he never actually watched any of the episodes in their entirety other than just watching the opening scene of the first episode. He explained the reason he didn’t watch the rest of the episode was because he found watching just that scene to be difficult for him to watch. He declared that what he watched was not Cowboy Bebop, and stated that he would of found it more watchable if he had more creative control on the live-action series.

In episode 1, the casino heist scene takes plot elements from the convenience store robbery scene in Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, from Spike entering the scene with headphones on to the last thug coming out of the bathroom.

The plot in episode 1 is based on the original anime episode “Asteroid Blues” which was also the first episode.

The plot in episode 2 is loosely based on anime episode 22 "Cowboy Funk".

In episode 2, a bottle of lotion in a basket is seen in Teddy Bomber's ship. This is a reference to the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs, where Buffalo Bill forced his victims to rub lotion on their skin.

In episode 2, the assassin sent to kill Spike while he is looking for Teddy Bomber is wearing an all-white outfit and cowboy boots. In the anime, Spike repeatedly fights an inept bounty hunter named Andy, who is dressed in an all-white cowboy outfit, who keeps mistaking him for Teddy Bomber.

The plot in episode 3 is loosely based on anime episode 2 "Stray Dog Strut".

In episode 3, the combination displayed on Ein's kennel, "CPE1704TKS," is the same code used to launch nuclear missiles that the WOPR computer cracks in the 1983 film WarGames.

The plot in episode 4 is loosely based on anime episode 4 "Gateway Shuffle".

In episode 4, the dinner menu features a dish called "Royale with Cheese", a reference to a scene in the 1994 film Pulp Fiction where Vincent Vega (John Travolta) explained the French name of McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

The plot in episode 5 is based on the original anime episode 16 "Black Dog Serenade".

In episode 5, Cowboy Andy who originated from episode 22 of the original anime is listed as a 1 star bounty on the episode of Big Shot that is shown.

The plot in episode 6 is loosely based on anime episode 23 "Brain Scratch".

In episode 6, Dr. Londes' motto "Free your mind, and the rest will follow" is taken from the 1992 En Vogue song "Free Your Mind".

The plot in episode 7 incorporates plot elements from the original anime episode 15 "My Funny Valentine" and episode 18 "Speak Like a Child".

The plot in episode 8 is loosely based on anime episode 20 "Pierrot le Fou".

In episode 8, several scenes reference the 1982 film Blade Runner. Jet mentions the Shoulder of Orion and Tannhauser's Gate. Pierrot LeFou quotes Roy Batty's last lines in French.

In episode 8, a glass box containing a clown mannequin is labeled "Tongpu", which was the original name of Pierrot LeFou in the anime.

The plot in episode 9 is the only episode to not include any elements or inspirations from any episodes of the anime.

The plot in episode 10 incorporates plot elements from the original anime episode 5 "Ballad of Fallen Angels".