Netflix revealed awhile ago that they’re moving forward with a Cowboy Bebop live-action TV series and we had things go on hiatus for it back in October 2019 of due to John Cho’s on-set injury. And then a pandemic happened, which pushed things back a good bit as one can expect. The production was one of the earliest ones to get back underway in Australia and we recently got some first shots from it and the reveal that it arrives on November 19th, 2021.
With the series just about a month away, Netflix has now confirmed that the official trailer will arrive in a week. To tide folks over, they’ve brought out a 2 1/2 minute “lost session” piece that definitely delivers a lot of style to it as it shows the cast in character – that will likely provide divisive as a love it/hate it kind of thing. Cause that’s how anime fans roll.
The first two episodes have Alex Garcia Lopez directing the cast which includes John Cho as Spike Spiegel, Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black, Daniella Pineda as Faye Valentine, and Alex Hassell as Vicious. Elena Satine will play Julia. Note that the legendary Yoko Kanno will be back to compose the soundtrack for this new series.
Official trailer in 1 week.
Until then, may we humbly present… THE LOST SESSION. #cowboybebop #thelostsession pic.twitter.com/EeWxfPjfSP
— Cowboy Bebop (@bebopnetflix) October 19, 2021
The core cast descriptions, updated, are:
- Spike Spiegel (Cho): Spike Spiegel is an impossibly cool “cowboy” (bounty hunter) with a deadly smile, a wry wit, and style to spare. He travels the solar system with his ex-cop partner, Jet, pursuing the future’s most dangerous bounties with a combination of charm, charisma — and deadly Jeet Kune Do.
- Jet Black (Shakir): Jet Black was one of the few honest cops in the solar system before an ultimate betrayal robbed him of all that he loved, forcing him into a vagabond life of hunting bounties to put food on the table. Jet is an inveterate jazz enthusiast and Captain of the Bebop.
- Faye Valentine (Pineda): Faye Valentine is a bold, brash, and unpredictable bounty hunter. Suffering from amnesia after years of being cryogenically frozen, Faye does whatever it takes to survive. Whether she’s lying, stealing, or just being a thorn in Spike and Jet’s side.
- Vicious (Hassell): A man who thoroughly enjoys a good kill, Vicious is the Syndicate’s most notorious hitman. He’s also Spike Spiegel’s ex-partner and arch-enemy.
- Julia (Satine): With a sultry beauty and a voice to die for, Julia is the dream-like object of Spike Spiegel’s desire. She struggles to survive in a violent world.
- Chalmers (Geoff Stults): Chalmers is the epitome of a Western lawman. He is also Jet Black’s former co-detective in the ISSP’s Homicide Division. He wears a chronic smile that makes you want to punch him square in the face… especially Jet. And that’s only partly because Chalmers is dating his ex-wife these days.
- Ana (Tamara Tunie): Ana is the proprietor of the hottest underground bluesy jazz club on Mars. And while she acts as a surrogate mom to Spike, there is nothing warm and cuddly about her. Cool and intense, Ana is definitely not a woman to be trifled with.
- Gren (Mason Alexander Park): Gren is Ana’s right-hand person. They run the front of the house for Ana’s jazz club. As capable with their wit as a glock, as confident in a dress as a suit, they are a Bowie-esque embodiment of 22nd century handsome and seductive beauty.
- Mao ( Rachel House): Mao is the Capo of the Syndicate’s “White Tigers” family. Despite, or perhaps because of, her blue-collar background, Mao is more cunning, adept, crafty, and deadly than her counterparts.
- Shin (Ann Truong) & Lin (Hoa Xuande): Dressed to kill (because they do), Shin and Lin serve as Vicious’ twin Syndicate henchman. Despite being fearful of their volatile boss, they are fiercely loyal to Vicious in his quest (for reasons we have yet to understand) to take down Spike Spiegel.
The Japanese dub cast includes Kōichi Yamadera as Spike Spiegel, Norio Wakamoto as Vicious, Megumi Hayashibara as Faye Valentine, Gara Takashima as Julia, Taiten Kusunoki as Jet Black, Tsutomu Tareki as Punch, Miki Nagasawa as Judy, Takaya Hashi as Teddy Bomber, Kenyuu Horiuchi as Gren, Masako Isobe as Mao, Romi Park as Shin, and Hikaru Midorikawa as Lin.
Check out our review of the North American release and our Twenty Years Later article.
Plot Concept: The Bebop crew is just trying to make a buck. This motley lot of intergalactic loners teams up to track down fugitives and turn them in for cold hard cash. Spike is a hero whose cool facade hides a dark and deadly past. The pilot Jet is a bruiser of a brute who can’t wait to collect the next bounty. Faye Valentine is a femme fatale prone to breaking hearts and separating fools from their money. Along for the ride are the brilliant-but-weird hacker Ed and a super-genius Welsh Corgi named Ein. On their own, any one of them would be likely to get lost in the sprawl of space, but together, they’re the most entertaining gang of bounty hunters in the year 2071.
— Cowboy Bebop (@bebopnetflix) August 23, 2021
Spike Spiegel: Just a humble bounty hunter.
Meet Spike Spiegel (John Cho), Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda) in Cowboy Bebop, premiering November 19, only on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/sYGfdCcsL7
— Cowboy Bebop (@bebopnetflix) August 23, 2021
Whatever happens, happens.
Meet Spike Spiegel (John Cho), Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda) in Cowboy Bebop, premiering November 19, only on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/nmapVDUZvJ
— Cowboy Bebop (@bebopnetflix) August 23, 2021
