Live Action Cowboy Bebop film

[Lycosyncer]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/37/CowboyBebopDVDBoxSet.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowboy_Bebop#Live-action_movie


Hello, fellow anime fans!

In case if you don't know, the famous and critically acclaimed anime TV series, "Cowboy Bebop" is officially confirmed to be in the works for a live action adaptation! The sad news is that Fox has the film rights to it and knowing what they have done with past adaptations, I am now preparing for the worse.

Plus, it's now confirmed that Keanu Reeves will be the playing the main character, Spike Spiegel and writer Peter Craig is now currently working on the first draft of the script. It is set for release for 2011. If there is any good news coming out of this is that the original company, Sunrise, series writer Keiko Nobumoto and the original series director Shinichiro Watanabe will be production consultants and whatever happens with the film they will see if it gains approval.

If you're interested in wanting to know if the series would be good, click here...


http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=413


Trust me, it's an excellent series and even if you're not into anime, it's pretty accessible to even non-anime fans and it is definitely well worth your time.

Leave your comments below...

[DistantJ]

Might be interesting. Unless your little group jumps on it for having some kind of authenticity problem.

[rossandchrisreviews]

Cowboy Bebop is one of the only animes I actually like. I can't wait for the live action Cowboy Bebop movie because it seems like that's one of the only animes that can be turned into a live action movie.

[Lycosyncer]

Edited Out. You've already been warned about this. Topics are locked for a reason. 2 day suspension. - DistantJ

We all know and admit that Fox sucks but unlike their hackjob with Dragonball, the original crew working on the original series will be heavily involved as production consultants and see through what's going to be approved and what's not. So I have a little (just a little!) bit confidence in the movie. So what is your opinion on the casting choice of Keanu as Spike? Spike is hinted that he is of Jewish ancestry and Keanu looks Caucasian enough to play him despite his hapa background. Will he pull it off? If he at least stop acting in his usual monotone voice recently and actually express himself a lot more, then maybe the casting wouldn't be so bad after all.

So what would you like to see in the live action Cowboy Bebop movie and who would be best to play who? You decide. What matters is if they would get Yoko Kanno to come back and do the music or do a complete original Bebop score? The music is a huge part of the identity of the series and what made Cowboy Bebop the critically acclaimed series that it is. Without the music, it just isn't Cowboy Bebop and wouldn't be a worthy adaptation to it.

[DistantJ]

Keanu looks Caucasian enough to play him despite his hapa background.

There you go with your "casting by look" bullshit again. When will you learn it's about the acting?

If they made a new Batman with the Joker, would you want them to just find somebody who looks like Heath Ledger, regardless of the acting?

[Lycosyncer]

Casting by look? Why consider that as a bad thing? Dean Cain's depiction of Superman is alright and most people never even realized he's quarter Japanese and looks more Caucasian than most.

In adaptations, actors who are widely praised for their depictions of their favorite characters not only do the characters justice, but also sometimes by how they resemble them in such cases. Look at Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach. Having said that, not only he did the character justice, but most fans I know were astounded by how he resembles the character's alter ego from the original comics. Plus, Robert Downey Jr. Does look like Tony Stark and I can't imagine anyone else playing him. Lastly Patrick Stewart as Professor Xavier? Enough said.

Don't you even agree with everyone that Keanu's a mediocre actor? What is exactly wrong for being both a good actor and looking right for a certain role? You sound as if that's a bad thing. Me, I highly disagree with you. Having both is not impossible.

I do admit that Keanu does look like Spike in someways but I prefer James Franco and maybe Adam Brody to take on the role of Spike Spiegel since they actually add personality to their roles.

As for casting a Heath Ledger look alike, there are talks about it and they might as well try but it feels unlikely. The closest that I can believe they'll try finding to replace Heath is that up and coming actor Joseph Gordon Levitt. He does have an eerie resemblance to him, is slowly growing to become a great actor in his own right after his brilliant performance in "The Lookout" and plus, he worked with Heath before many years ago with that movie, "Ten Things I Hate About You". So he definitely knows Heath but will he take on the role of The Joker? Who knows.

[DistantJ]

Jackie Earle looks absolutely nothing like Walter Kovacs. The makeup made him look right for the part (damn, he looked perfect in that movie) but when you look at the guy normally, there's nothing Kovacs about him.

Same should be said for Heath Ledger as the joker. You're already talking about replacing him with a lookalike, despite his incredible performance in that movie. I think it'd be a travesty to just find somebody who looks like him, there are big acting shoes to fill, and his place should be taken by somebody equally amazing at acting and at playing the joker, regardless of how much like ledger they look. Besides, once somebody's plastered in white and black makeup, red lipstick and given straggly green hair, it won't take more than a few minutes to suspend your disbelief that it's the Joker.

Robert Downey Jr. looks like Tony Stark to the point of having a goatee and hairstyle in that movie, yes. He also looks like Gordon Freeman. What's your point?

Patrick Stewart hired because he looks like Xavier? So you're saying they hired him because he's bald? Or how about because he's one of the best actors in the world.

I think Keanu is a pretty poor actor... I'm actually picking on your focusing on "he's okay at acting but he looks white enough", what a load of crap.

There are people like this all over the internet, some who create their "dream casts" for movies based around people who just look like the characters, despite how they act.

[Lycosyncer]

Well, that's your opinion and I have mine so we'll just leave it at that.

Friends I know do love the actors who played those roles respectively and even having the similarities to their characters is an added bonus. They played their characters wonderfully and can the actors who look differently from the characters their playing not enough to ruin the film? It depends but sometimes, it does play into the determining factor. Like for example, it's pretty much agreed that Kate Bosworth is pretty weak as Lois Lane compared to Margot Kidder's version of the famous character.

So for the look white comment, I apologize but you also need to stop being a prick yourself. Did I hit a sensitive subject? Truth is, I am not denying that Hollywood has problems, the only way for progress is acceptance that it happened and moving forward towards progression. Denying the problems won't make it go away.

We all know that The Joker is a pretty big shoe to fill after The Dark Knight's success and it does play into the possibility that studios are thinking of replacing him to keep the cash cow flowing but Nolan may or may not let that happen. It's not uncommon for studios to cash in on their success with mediocrity but if they are going to choose an actor to replace Heath, I say that Joseph Gordon Levitt will be a perfect replacement if they have the chance to do it but will he take it? I'm not saying they should but it does play into the possibility but if Nolan is still around, that's pretty doubtful.

Did you really think they won't milk Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker for all it's worth? Look at all of those many posthumous albums that the music studios have released in the name of 2pac and Notorious B.I.G. in recent years. I feel that they should have just left them rest in peace and just stop.

P.S. So what is wrong with dream casts? It's always fun to find who would fit who and many friends and fans I know loved these choices I've mentioned earlier. So once again, I apologize about my issues with The Last Airbender fiasco but really, the issues are true and the evidence provided is undeniable. You may feel free to disagree but me, I refuse to compromise.

[DistantJ]

you also need to stop being a prick yourself.

Last time I looked, you were the one with -21 respect.

P.S. So what is wrong with dream casts?

I'm stunned that you still can't see what I'm saying. I was saying "dream casts" made of actors based on what they look like and not how they act, which a lot of people do. Like the people saying Cameron Diaz should be in Silent Hill 2 simply because she looks like a character in the game, even though she's a comedy actress who would probably be terrible in a horror film. I'm finding it hard to believe you still haven't managed to see the difference here.

I refuse to compromise.

[Lycosyncer]

Last time I looked, you were the one with -21 respect.

Like I need that to get me down.

After our debacle at the tla topic, it seems we're in a big, heavy dispute with each other. Even after someone apologizes, not going to change your tone or your respect meter? Whatever.

I'm sorry that we don't have the same view but after looking at the facts and the debates, it opened my eyes to the ugly side of Hollywood and their racial bias instead of supporting the "land of equal opportunity" slogan. Like The Comedian, once I saw it's true face, I can never turn back.

Deny it or not, The Last Airbender IS the best example of Hollywood's racial bias and obvious favoritism for Caucasian actors and I don't care if you or that ross fellow don't think so but the pattern of recent films where they are whitewashing non-white characters makes the trend disturbingly becoming more and more undeniable.

By the way, I've tried to be open but the evidence surrounding the production of the movie as time goes on doesn't raise confidence at all and the terrible casting still doesn't make me forget that either. With recent news that they will be removing the Chinese calligraphy from the movie, which by the way, is essential in the series, I don't respect them at all for what they've done.
 
For film adaptations, I don't mind changes as long as it makes sense with the overall context and this just doesn't fit that description at all. It's like what if you cast George Clooney to play Martin Luther King Jr. Sure he's a good actor and will it make people forget the big race problem surrounding it? Doubt it. You may call it a poor analogy, but I find it fitting well within the context.

Whether or not I agree with everyone or not, dream casts are for picking who fits the character the best. Sometimes, it's both the look and their acting experience that makes it better for them to be the best choice. If you want to call me shallow, fine. I don't care, but there are some times where having both is a necessity and I don't care if acting is more important, sometimes having both IS important for the job. 


keyword: "sometimes"


Maybe we should form the "race in Hollywood" topic in the controversy section because we are getting quite the attention. Do you agree?

By the way, nice picture! What I love about the character is that he is not what your typical good guy hero is suppose to be and questions whether or not he should be the hero or the villain.

Plus, there is a difference between agreeing with Rorschach and admiring him and I just happen to admire him for sticking to what he believes in. Whether or not I agree with him in his ideals is another story. As for compromising that Hollywood always knows what's best for what they do, after this recent casting disaster and the history behind it, I find that to be a big joke.


"No, not even in the face of all odds or even armageddon, I shall not compromise in this." (Favorite quote!)


Enough said and if you refuse to see, then I am not going to stop you. I respect you but that doesn't mean, I agree with your opinions. You have your right. If you want to ban me permanently, then go right ahead but think about it, is Hollywood always right? I don't think so.

[DistantJ]

How many times! That topic was locked. Stop bringing it elsewhere!!! Nobody cares, nobody wants to hear it, it's clear from your respect level that people are fed up of it!

You're talking about an American movie based on a story which was sort of based on Chinese legend. Not an exact copy of the cartoon series put on the big screen, a movie based on it. Hell, they haven't even kept the name.

I don't consider myself in dispute with you, I'm just trying to point out some of the ignorance involved in some of these posts. People can get so carried away with a certain detail of a movie, particularly an adaptation of something, that they can forget that there might be great, enjoyable things about it too. I mean, like those people who decided they hated Watchmen despite the fact that it was an incredible film, simply because the ending didn't involve a giant dead squid.

I can see race being a little more worth caring about than... dead squids... but I really don't think the casting is racist, I think it's far more along the lines of the actors who were best at martial arts and acted best out of those who auditioned were picked. Asians are a minority in America so you could expect them to be a minority of the auditions, if any even auditioned at all. Most likely it just wasn't realistic to set out to hire Asian child actors specifically for a movie being made in America (when was the last time you saw an Asian child actor at all, let alone one who could do martial arts? That's not racism, that's just a lack of available actors), and the Chinese calligraphy is probably a design choice to match the casting.

If you really want to know, I do feel that Avatar probably would be a little bit more authentic with Asian actors etc. but for a kids' fantasy movie that really doesn't matter to me, and I always find the whole "I'll sign and promote an internet petition to get an idea I don't I like changed!" to be incredibly obnoxious, and apparently others on here do too. You talk like there's some kind of racial bias going on in Hollywood but outside of this one flick I can't see any evidence to that at all. What, Dragonball? As if that movie mattered in any way?

What I've been trying to say to you all along is that acting should be looked at from an angle of the person's acting, not the way they look or the colour they are. I don't see you guys complaining that they didn't get an English actress for Bridget Jones or whatever else. Why, because we Brits don't have a different skin tone, or higher cheek bones and double fold eyelids?

Also, remember this - creativity isn't a democracy. A movie is somebody's art and whether you enjoy it or not is up to you, but if you didn't like a Salvador Dali painting, would you walk into the museum with a marker pen and try to change it?

[Lycosyncer]

What makes you the judge of who cares and who doesn't? Even me, I don't make the decisions, I let the people see the problems and they don't have to agree with me but they don't agree with you either. Nobody cares? I beg to differ. There are thousands more outside of the internet who still have no idea about the issues and there are many of those who can tell when they see something messing with something that is already a piece of art.

M. Night has already desecrated the series and what I see is NOT art. Did Peter Jackson cave in to studio demands to dumb down lotr? They originally did ask him to condense the three books to one film but he stuck to his guts and made the films what he wanted it to which is staying true to the original source material to the best he can and even though I don't always agree with some of the changes, overall I still respect him for doing the source material justice to the best he can.

After reading what you've said, I don't feel bad for low poularity since I now believe that popularity isn't everything. As a matter of fact, I don't have respect for YOU for not considering the consequences of why race relations in hollywood is not as perfect as you seem to think. Blackface is no longer acceptable and is now considered taboo and yet, I still see yellowface with movies like "Norbit" and "Chuck & Larry". These are hypocrtical standards that still need facing.

Did you even see or heard about "21" and the controversy behind it? Now, that IS racial bias right there in case if you need to look closer. Plus, the casting directors behind the new Twilight sequel have no problem finding Native American actors for the film since thousands and even those who are outside of the country showed up to the auditions.

Plus, Clint Eastwood has no problem finding Hmong actors for "Gran Torino" and casting Japanese actors to be the main characters in his film, "Letters from Iwo Jima" and the Hollywood's excuse that they couldn't find the right actors of certain ethnicity to be in their movies is just plain pathetic and inexcusable.


Here's what I think of your apathy of not caring about race in hollywood...

New "Raisin in the Sun" Planned Cast	LQ | LQ+ | HQ | HQ+

I agree with the video that the justifications for making those type of liberties is a very big load of crap and your justifications for allowing Hollywood to get away with whitewashing doesn't make me think of you in a high light.


Here's what Avatar should have been like if they even actually have the balls to cast appropriately...

Full Trailer For "The Storm Warriors"	LQ | LQ+ | HQ | HQ+

[DistantJ]

I don't think you even read my last post before you wrote that.

What makes you the judge of who cares and who doesn't?

This:

M. Night has already desecrated the series and what I see is NOT art.

Art = subjective. Desecrated? He's making fan fiction for the big screen. How does that in any way alter the original?

I don't have respect for YOU

Pretty inconvenient when standard message board rules require you to respect admins, then.

I still see yellowface with movies like "Norbit" and "Chuck & Larry". These are hypocrtical standards that still need facing.

And I still see British characters with bad teeth, talking in the Queen's accent, drinking tea, refusing hugs and being uptight, and usually the villain. Why don't I hear you complaining about that? Because, like with your view on actors, you only seem to care about the look.

Plus, Clint Eastwood has no problem finding Hmong actors for "Gran Torino" and casting Japanese actors

And the acting suffered, according to your already closed thread which you're determined to revive in here. Not that Japanese actors are bad actors, just that your casting suffers if you cast based entirely on race/look. And it's not a childrens' movie.



Final warning. If you keep making huge posts about this your next ban will be longer. You have every right to disagree with me but the topic was locked for a reason, and based on the request of many members, including Fury (who, incidentally, is not white-American) so you can't go bringing it all in here as well. I did try to reason with you and you just will not listen.

[Lycosyncer]

After so much consideration, alright then I confess that I apologize for being a dickhead because after being surrounded by actual dickheads at the imdb boards who are even worse, I try to be more civil and actually see if anyone would agree but I feel like I am alone here. I keep getting my personal feelings in the way and never realize what I am doing. What I put down was just comparisons to how hypocritical Hollywood works sometimes and when I see how others defend those decisions, despite how wrong it is, sometimes I wonder what is it that's right to do.

If you're serious that Fury wants me to change my tone, then I'll do it just for him, since I have a great high respect for him for his honesty and how he views movies and plus, he hasn't said anything to me, recently. If he says it, then I'll do it just for him. The reason why I haven't read your comments is because from what you've implied, I assume that I think of you as following Hollywood's bias for favortism of white actors more than being important to whatever the source material says than anything including looks which is not always successful in the end. Plus, I never even liked that you said that acting is more important than whoever looks the part, which in my opinion, doesn't always work.  

So anyway, I hope we get a fresh start and continue more peacefully. Once again, I really am sorry and tell me how to improve the respect rating and maybe I'll consider it.

I'm not reviving anything, I'm just saying that once when you start saying that the racebending group will be all over this movie despite how differnt it is, what I am saying is that the casting of characters and settings are far different from each other. I politely leave the race issues out of other movie discussions and I ain't going to start now. So from now on, if we are going to debate about race, we'll form the topic in your new "controversy section" in the forums and discuss there.  So I'll leave that now, okay?

And I still see British characters with bad teeth, talking in the Queen's accent, drinking tea, refusing hugs and being uptight, and usually the villain. Why don't I hear you complaining about that? Because, like with your view on actors, you only seem to care about the look.

I don't like that too but that's for a different discussion and this relates with how Asian actors do get the shaft in a movie that is suppose to be on a film heavily influenced by their culture. If there's a movie coming up that shows this, then we'll talk. Besides, British actors have a much better chance than Asians do in Hollywood.

M.Night even confesses in his recent interview that he cast Noah Ringer because of his look similar to Aang and not because of his acting and from what we have heard, Noah Ringer has NO acting experience whatsoever but he is willing to give him acting lessons. So "Gran Torino" casts mediocre actors, but so what? If they cast Caucasian or African actors to play as the Hmong characters and not as something else, then that would get me ticked off, no matter how better their acting is. It would be great if they would find better actors, but I would rather prefer mediocre Hmong actors for Hmong characters than better actors of other ethnicities in their places. Unless if the movie stated differently, of course.

Really, the reason why I am like this is becase I am disgusted at when I was at the "Red Cliff" boards on imdb, some moron who thinks it would be even better if they cast white actors as the main Chinese characters in the story which has really ticked me off. Red Cliff is based on the famous Chinese story, "Romance of The Three Kingdoms" and the settings and the actors ethnicities are extremely important to that story. If you want your main reason why I act like this, you could thank the person who would think that white actors are superior to actual Asian actors in movies in which Asian actors are a big must have in that film. Thankfully, everyone there hated his idea and that's why I feel this way.

Anyways, I'll leave it alone now and once when you said I went out of line and said that Fury should ask me to stop, I realize my mistakes and I will decide to drop it.

Once again, I sincerely apologize to you and I hope that we could start fresh again...

[DistantJ]

If I'm perfectly honest, I think Avatar would probably be more authentic with Chinese actors, and it's a bit weird that they hire Americans to play the characters (though I can see why it's a decision they'd make), I and most others here just don't like the whole "I don't like this in this movie, so let's start a freaking campaign" attitude to things. And I don't think it's all of Hollywood that has a bias, maybe some directors do but that doesn't mean all of Hollywood does, you're forgetting how many movies there are out there with a racially diverse and accurate cast.

Yes, I spoke to Fury about the issue after I suspended you, I wanted to make sure I had done the right thing and he said I was right to do it. When he's around I'll point him to this thread if you'd like his input.