Dave and Thomas Daily Timekillers

A lot of you have probably heard of a little animated series from Japan called Cowboy Bebop. For those of you who have not, Cowboy Bebop was an animated series about bounty hunters, space ships, martial arts, swords, guns, explosions, hunger, revenge, honor and Welsh Corgis; all layered in style and drenched in a slow cool, like the jazz music from which it drew so much inspiration. A series so cool couldn’t help but grow a strong following, which is probably why it has been targeted by Hollywood as a prime property to turn into a live-action film and according to an article in Variety, fan favorite Spike Spiegel is set to played by sci-fu actor extraordinaire Keanu Reeves.

Although Dave & Thomas both agree that Keanu Reeves is probably one of the best actors of this generation, you must consider this is from two individuals who still refer to him as Ted “Theodore” Logan and consider the Matrix to actually be called “That Movie Ted Does Kung-Fu In”. Although it might be stretching things to say Keanu is one of the best actors of this generation, one might more accurately state that Keanu Reeves has a knack for choosing memorable roles well within his range (Matrix, Speed, Point Break, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure). Frankly Spike Spiegel is a character that potentially falls within Keanu’s abilities, between Keanu’s experience in sci-fi and action films and Spike’s quite, devil-may-care, rogue attitude whose role is more physicality and personality, than any true acting range. As long as Spike doesn’t utter the phrases “whoa” or “dude” at any point in the movie things should be alright.

As for whether or not a live-action Cowboy Bebop will actually be worth seeing will have to wait at least until the trailer is out, but one can hope. One must also temper their hope of an adequate adaptation, with the knowledge of the awesome power of Hollywood to destroy a good story for the sake of a dollar. Although on the bright side, the original series’ director Shinichirô Watanabe, writer Keiko Nobumoto and Sunrise’s Kenji Uchida have all signed on as associate producers, and may be able to sway the 20th Century Fox owned ship enough to keep it on course.

One Comment

1. Steve says:
   May 22, 2009 at 2:05 am

   “Although Dave & Thomas both agree that Keanu Reeves is probably one of the best actors of this generation” … Ah, how I missed the Dave & Thomas humour. Stretching it is absolutely correct.

   Reply