Jᴀᴄᴜʀᴜᴛᴜ - Tʜᴇ Cᴀsᴛ Oᴜᴛ

ANN reports on possible Cowboy Bebop live action film adaptation

Naturally I'm very wary of the idea, but I have to know more details before I pass judgment. I want to know if Erwin is really going to produce or if he's just pitching the concept. I want to know who's directing. I want to know who's writing. I want cast details. Once I know that, I'll arrogantly prejudge the film's worth like a good little opinionated net denizen

I will say this much so far: Keanu Reeves as Spike is a horrible idea of noir-like tragedy. There is one man and one man alone in Hollywood who can do Spike justice and that's Sam Rockwell. Cast him as Spike and I'll be convinced this live action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop is being taken seriously. If they don't, then that's a big warning sign this film is off to a bad start

What is Cowboy Bebop?

An awsome Anime:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowboy_Bebop

Ugh. Never been able to tell the difference between "awesome" anime and any other kind. It all looks like soft-core to me.

yeah, but that is a Nice Ass. Drawn or otherwise.

Cowboy Bebop is an anime series made in 1998 and tells the story of a group of bounty hunters in the future of 2071. The show is a somewhat retro sci-fi series with a strong 60's/70's flavor that incorporates lots of western music and western popular culture. The title refers to bounty hunters (loosely grouped as cowboys) and music (such as bebop). Keeping in mind that Bebop pre-dates it, think Firefly/Serenity meets film noir. If animation could ever be considered hip or cool, Bebop is the closest it's ever come.

It's actually quite unique in anime; it's far more western than it is eastern and is generally considered a gateway/watershed series. If you dislike anime, chances are you'll enjoy Cowboy Bebop.

I hate anime with a passion. Not just the storys (Which are fucking awful) but the animation. It sucks too.


All that anime porn I used to watch was iontresting, in that you could have weird shit on there (Such as say, a girl with a penis, or someone bending at a ludacris angle) Anyway, It was got stupid after aawhile.

Sole Man wrote:I hate anime with a passion. Not just the storys (Which are fucking awful) but the animation. It sucks too.


All that anime porn I used to watch was iontresting, in that you could have weird shit on there (Such as say, a girl with a penis, or someone bending at a ludacris angle) Anyway, It was got stupid after aawhile.

Not saying that anime is perfect, but you've obviously never seen a good anime. You seem like the kind of person who likes indiscriminate violence, blood, and guys with giant swords that can cleave through anything. You'd probably like Berserk.

I'm not sure how a Cowboy Bebop movie would do, but since it isn't too ridiculous and doesn't involve giant robots it may actually have a shot at being decent.

(Is anyone else having like an incredible déjà vu moment right now? Down to the image posted by Seraphan.... )

I'm not sure about the image from Seraphan, but maybe the deja vu because of the impending movie adaptations of Akira and Ghost in the Shell?

Tleszer wrote:I'm not sure about the image from Seraphan, but maybe the deja vu because of the impending movie adaptations of Akira and Ghost in the Shell?

The whosa whatnow?

That's how I felt, Dukester.

Ghost in the Shell (live action)

Akira (live action)

I haven't seen the Akira anime, but somehow I can't imagine that it would translate into live action well.

I remember being annoyed that the Spielberg GitS live-action is going to be 3D. (I wear glasses to begin with. Why do I have to stick something else on my face to watch a fricking movie?)

Get contacts!
Yes, we have touched upon Cowboy Bebop before, but I never embellished at the time. But I figured there would be some interest in news of yet another anime live action adaptation

Mebst. I hate putting shit in my eyes. Like my fingers. Or pieces of plastic. You heard what happened to Momus, right?

Anyway, as a fan of GitS I'm pissed that Spielberg is turning it into a gimmick flick.

Fucking Hollywood....

It's both curse and blessing, remakes of anime in Hollywood I mean, not inserting hot pokers into your eyes.

In one way, remaking anime into North American live action inserts some much needed originality into Hollywood. In another way, it's just more damn remakes, doesn't really matter if they come from overseas or not. Of course, we can look at it pessimistically, assuming Hollywood is going to fuck it up. And why not?

I didn't follow the link and read the GitS article again, and maybe they haven't announced this much detail, but I'm assuming they'll "translate" it into an American setting with American characters, rather than film it as Japanese, as it was written. Like in the Dragon Ball Z project where Goku is a blond round-eye. (The original isn't particularly well-disposed toward the "American Empire" and its continuing international machinations, after all. )

Feh.

From what I understand, most of these anime adaptations are being transposed for North American audiences. Remember, Hollywood is largely a "concept vampire". It doesn't matter where the concept comes from, whether it's Britain, Australia, Canada, Argentina or Japan, Hollywood will suck the idea from it and create a new infection with it.

I think Akira is the only adaptation that is paying any lip service to it's Japanese roots. But we'll see how that pans out.

Yet in all fairness, transposing these foreign stores is the whole point. Take a good idea from elsewhere and build a domestic film so that it appeals to a North American audience, not a foreign one. Most of these shows don't need to be remade. Just like Infernal Affairs didn't need to become The Departed, how Nine Queens didn't need to become Criminal and why Oldboy doesn't need to become a Will Smith vehicle. These are modern movies, movies which aren't dated or old, and don't require remaking. But they are simply very good "concepts" and we all know what Hollywood does with those

The thing with Akira for example, if you read the manga you notice there's simply too much of the story that relates to Japan, historicaly and culturaly, that makes the transaction to "American" pretty fucked up.
What's wrong with seeing the original movies? Why the cultural isolation? Because Hollywood really really loves money and it doesnt matter to them if a cultural vehicle becomes a major source of income by turning it into a milking factory. So it's more than enough reason to be pessimistic.
By the way, speaking of Old Boy remake, dont you think they're making way too many will smith movies?

Um...you mean that Will Smith in an Old Boy remake wasn't just a made-up example?

(googles)

Shit.

And I haven't even seen the original. Has Spielberg done anything original lately?

Chig, the digital 3D is actually impressive, not like the old crap. The glasses are big enough that they fit over your regular ones. The theater Iwork at has one of the 1000 digital 3D projectors in the US and it isn't just a gimmick. The drawback is the studio's have tacked on a surcharge to the tickets for the glasses which for us means a matinee ticket is $8 and an adult evening ticket is $10 compared to the regular price of $6 and $8 respectively. People have howled big time over the pricing on the 3D movies.

Yes SR I can get you in, no need to sneak in either, I'm a manager so no worries.

Rob

can I bring my own beef jerky & beer in my haversack ?

SandRider wrote:can I bring my own beef jerky & beer in my haversack ?

Only if you bring me some too.

Rob

Thanks for the explanation, Rob, but unless the 3D is made essential by something in the story being told, to me it's just a gimmick.

Have any of these new 3D flicks made it to home market DVD release yet? What do they do for those?

SandChigger wrote:Um...you mean that Will Smith in an Old Boy remake wasn't just a made-up example?

(googles)

Shit.

And I haven't even seen the original. Has Spielberg done anything original lately?

Nope and he's lost all my respect for him because of it.