Cowboy Be-boppin'... Live!

What would you took a story about a band of bounty hunters and filmed it in the style of a comedic, dramatic, film-noirish science-fiction western? Oh, and did I mention it would be animated? Well the answer is Cowboy Bebop, one of the best regarded anime, at least on this side of the Pacific. With its cross-genre style, bizarre blend of characters, and catchy tunes it engages even those who would normally turn their back on non-childish animation. (I would use the term adult, but then certain people would get the wrong idea.)



The fairly short series (only about 26 episodes) covers the lives of a quartet (quintet if you count the adorable corgi Ein) as they struggle to make ends meet bringing in the worst of the stellar criminals while figuring out how to deal with their peculiar pasts. It is one of the few anime that I would recommend regardless of whether you enjoy that genre. Well, you might be able to enjoy it without watching a single cartoon. As of July, Producer Edwin Stoff with Fox is coordinating an adaption of the series into a live action film. Among others, Stoff was a producer (or exec.) on films such as The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008), Constantine (2005), and The Matrix (1999)... see any other similarities between these films? Woah! ... Keanu Reeves. In fact, an MTV movie blog already has reported his interest.

Now, I am not a Keanu hater. I think he is a fairly safe choice for the role of Spike Spiegel, at least for one film; beyond that, he (along with the rest of the film) would need to prove himself as the bushy-haired bounty hunter. Sure, there might be better folks out there, but there are far worse as well. He does have a sci-fi background and has had his hand in an action film or few. He has a dry style like Spike and even looks a bit like him, but what he seems to have in most of his roles that he should not is a touch of cluelessness. He would need to soak in a ton of confidence and speed up his speech. He needs to play it confident, sometimes cool, sometimes boastful - that cocky smile he has at the beginning of the dojo training program in The Matrix... that is spot on. He does not need to sound exactly Steve Blum from the series, but it would help if it does not sound like he is contemplating every word that he utters. Spike is confident and assertive, bordering on aggressive, yet relaxed and fluid.

As for the movie as a whole, I have mixed feelings about such an adaptation. Adaptations, reboots, sequels have gotten a bad rap in the past years; these less-than-original retreads of previous material have existed for many years, decades, centuries! Writers and story-tellers remade tales in their own settings or told new tales of old heroes long before movies ever came along. That said, Cowboy Bebop is an early classic, and it while it would be a shame to stain it with a bad adaptation, I do not believe that such a stain could not be washed out and forgotten... and that is only assuming it does not go well.

I am trying to keep my expectations beyond low, but my hopes are creeping up very quickly. As terrible as a poor adaption would be, leading non-fans of anime to one of the golden series, could be an eventual boon for the genre as well as the other "geeky" genres the film incorporates. But "whatever happens, happens."

Oh and if "Tank!" is not the theme song, someone should be run-over by the just mentioned military vehicle.

"See you later, Space Cowboy!"

P.S. Would anyone care to guess how much supervalue seats still are at the Monster Jam? I get such a kick out of those radio ads.