Netflix has a ton of promising things on the horizon in terms of original programming, so it’s easy to forget the super exciting shows in the deeper future that have been chugging along in development while the platform advertises its current hits. One such project is the upcoming live-action Cowboy Bebop series, in which Star Trek vet John Cho will star as bounty hunter Spike Spiegel. It's been a while since word first dropped, bit we should all still be very excited.
Especially since John Cho was recently spotted out in public donning the iconic character’s equally iconic hairstyle, and it looks pretty damn impressive. Take a look!
That’s honestly pretty damn impressive. Bringing the anime aesthetic to live-action is never an easy task, and there’s definitely a balancing act when deciding how much of a realistic balance to bring into a look. John Cho’s hair here is about as perfect as that balancing act could possible play out, with a style that’s about as spot-on as it can be without looking cartoony or completely fake.
That is to say the animated Spike’s hair is definitely longer than Cho's is, and it flairs more into a perfect mess than what the actor has going on. Needless to say, if Cho tried to grow and fluff his hair out as much as Spike rocks in the animated Cowboy Bebop, it would’ve just looked strange.
Assuming this picture is John Cho with Spike’s haircut and not just something he’s trying out before shaving it all off, this is one of our first real details about the live-action Netflix series. There hasn’t been much released beyond the series’ announcement and principal casting, so hopefully this picture starts a slow rollout of other actors sharing their character-friendly looks.
Until then, can we all agree that this look at John Cho is the most convincing evidence that he’s more Spike Spiegel than Keanu Reeves would have been in the role? Perhaps it’s still too soon for that take, given Reeves recent spike in popularity – pun not intended – although this tweeted picture seems to have won a few over on Cho taking on the role. Now, let's hope the adaptation is on par with the acclaimed anime!
Details are still relatively scant on how the Cowboy Bebop live-action will adapt from the original. We do know Cho is on board as Spike, Mustafa Shakir as Spike’s buddy and pilot Jet Black, Daniella Pineda will play the unpredictable Faye, and Alex Hassell is the appropriately named villain Vicious.
Cowboy Bebop still has yet to confirm other characters, such as Ed and Ein, who haven’t had actors attached to the would-be roles yet. To be fair, the character of Ein is a dog, and animals typically don’t get a ton of fanfare around their castings. Ed, on the other hand, is a pretty important part of the series, so hopefully some answers on who will be playing her will come soon.
As more details roll out on Cowboy Bebop, expect CinemaBlend to be there to report on major details and other things happening in the world of television, streaming, and movies.
