March 29, 2024

‘Cowboy Bebop’ showrunner André Nemec on adapting the cult ’90s anime for Netflix: Q&A

The famous Japanese anime series first aired back in 1998 and followed the exploits of a trio of charismatic bounty hunters traversing the galaxy in the year 2071 aboard their Bebop spaceship.Over the decades, “Cowboy Bebop” and its swingin retro soundtrack by author Yoko Kanno has ended up being a prominent example for artists, authors, directors, comic book developers, and video game designers drew to the cool pop culture feeling that came to America through Cartoon Networks Adult Swim program in 2001. View the hip brand-new trailer for Netflixs live-action Cowboy Bebop The official poster for the live-action “Cowboy Bebop” on Netflix. (Image credit: Netflix) Sadly, Netflix has decided to not bring back “Cowboy Bebop” for another season and announced its cancellation on Dec. 9. The deeper I dug into the skin of it the more I started falling in love with the stories that I knew we might tell.Space.com: How difficult was it staying faithful to the initial product yet offering the Television series its own identity without pushing away fans?Nemec: For me, everybody has their memory of “Cowboy Bebop” and everyone is going to bring their history and experience with the anime to our retelling.” Space.com: What are the plans for “Cowboy Bebops” future and will there be a 2nd season?Nemec: Nothing would be better than to keep informing more stories of the “Bebop” crew.

Cool felines trying to find a hip dose of nostalgia might consider tuning in to Netflixs brand-new live-action rendition of “Cowboy Bebop” that recently landed on the streaming titans lineup. The famous Japanese anime series first aired back in 1998 and followed the exploits of a trio of charming fugitive hunter passing through the galaxy in the year 2071 aboard their Bebop spaceship.Over the years, “Cowboy Bebop” and its swingin retro soundtrack by composer Yoko Kanno has ended up being an influential touchstone for artists, authors, directors, comics developers, and computer game designers lured to the cool pop culture experience that came to America through Cartoon Networks Adult Swim program in 2001. Delivered by executive producer and showrunner André Nemec (” Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”), Netflixs 10-episode “Cowboy Bebop” remix showed up on Nov. 19 starring “Star Treks” John Cho (Spike Spiegel), Daniella Pineda (Faye Valentine), Mustafa Shakir (Jet Black), Elena Satine (Julia), and Alex Hassell (Vicious). Its a wild flight that perfectly nails the jazzy vibe and spirit of the source material alongside some stunning visual results that never ever disappoint.Related: Lets Jam! Watch the hip new trailer for Netflixs live-action Cowboy Bebop The main poster for the live-action “Cowboy Bebop” on Netflix. (Image credit: Netflix) Sadly, Netflix has actually decided to not revive “Cowboy Bebop” for another season and announced its cancellation on Dec. 9. In spite of combined evaluations, the live-action area western adaptation did amass over 74 million viewing hours worldwide since it premiered on Nov. 19. Space.com talked with Nemec on the mistakes of adapting a cherished anime series, remaining faithful to “Cowboy Bebop” fans, and the careful alchemy of cast chemistry. Space.com: Why was this the ideal time for a live-action adjustment of “Cowboy Bebop?” I think it was the right time just based on the fact that the anime endured the test of time. It d been tried and had not worked and been through iterations and I believe the right version was to do it as a TV series versus a film. When I got a call about “Cowboy Bebop” I was at first a little leery of the product. It is the hallowed ground of anime and at the upper reaches of what people love and care about. André Nemec: But I had concerned the program through music. So it was the soundtrack and the poetry that was the anime. The deeper I went into the skin of it the more I started falling for the stories that I understood we might tell.Space.com: How hard was it remaining faithful to the original material yet giving the TV series its own identity without pushing away fans?Nemec: For me, everybody has their memory of “Cowboy Bebop” and everybody is going to bring their history and experience with the anime to our retelling. I cant request anything aside from to look and protect an open mind at our telling as a growth of the series, and possibly a remix living in the concepts and characters of the world. Individuals have specific expectations in their own mind regarding what it can or would be. I tilled the land in the fertile soil of the anime and this is the fruit that I yielded. And I like it. I stand by it and believe we served up a nice dish.Space.com: How did you cultivate the cast chemistry thats so apparent on screen?Nemec: Its huge to get that chemistry. Theres constantly the alchemy of making it and you can put all the active ingredients in the cauldron and stir it at the ideal temperature and best time and you get lead. The actors bonded a lot through the training and bootcamp operate in the early days before they truly needed to dive into the character chemistry on set. We likewise invested a lot of time in wedding rehearsals working the product and making sure that the voices the stars were bringing were the ones that made sense on the page. Theres that blink reaction in the casting procedure which is, “Thats it!” Like Jet Black just walked in the door. I can see it due to the fact that I understand what the center of the character is, and its a guy with a heart loaded with jellybeans. And thats exactly who Mustafa is. John was the same method. I knew him as a very talented go-deep actor, but I understood he had this really wry wit and sense of humor. I informed him that its a big thing for us to handle. “Youre handling Spike Spiegel and Im handling “Cowboy Bebop.” Should we hold hands together and do it? And Daniella was the same method. She just has the fire that is Faye Valentine. So putting them in a room and winding them up and letting them go was quite easy. The very first time I heard them all read the words out loud we remained in New Zealand in pre-production. I understood because minute that its all going to fall under place.The initial, animated “Cowboy Bebop” (Image credit: Funimation) Space.com: Bringing back Yoko Kanno for the series score was a cool nostalgic touch. How vital was it getting her to contribute brand-new arrangements for this project?Nemec: It was hugely crucial to me. Once again, I concerned “Cowboy Bebop” through the soundtrack. Yoko belongs to the soul of the show. So to get her to come back and revamp some pieces to find the 2021 live-action variation of those iconic songs, and to discover brand-new pieces of music that lived in the characters and style, that was an extraordinary journey. I believe that soundtrack for the season is definitely worth a release out in the world. People will find that soundtrack. Its that good.Space.com: Can you elaborate on the excellent visual impacts in the series and how that process evolved?Nemec: The special effects are exceptional on the show. We invested a great deal of time taking a look at pre-vis and doing a great deal of development. We really worked the Bebop, worked the Swordfish, the astral gates, the planetaries. We looked at a great deal of designs and put a great deal of 3-D designs on turntables. Whats interesting about the anime is that the Bebop itself isnt consistent throughout the series. The shapes and size modification. So we actually took a look at it to find our shape and then engaged some phenomenal VFX companies around the globe to take it on. The appeal was that the business that took it all on had “Bebop” fans developed into the business as artists. Everyone actually tossed a lot of extra hours and extra care into it simply to enjoy on “Bebop.” Space.com: What are the prepare for “Cowboy Bebops” future and will there be a 2nd season?Nemec: Nothing would be much better than to keep informing more stories of the “Bebop” crew. Write your regional Netflix representative and inform them you desire to see more! There are absolutely concepts spinning for season two. There are some terrific stories, terrific characters, and terrific things still yet to mine from the anime that Im excited about.Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.Todays finest Netflix deals