The casting news for Netflix’s upcoming 10-episode adaptation of Cowboy Bebop has arrived, and it is far better than it could have been. These first four cast members have been known for impressive resumes, charisma, and humor in their careers. Let’s run them down one at a time. We may not love the idea of one of the greatest anime of all time getting a live-action treatment, but we’re willing to keep an open mind—for now.
John Cho is Spike Spiegel
You may recognize John Cho as Hikaru Sulu in the rebooted Star Trek films (see the photo above), but you might also remember that he played Harold in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and its sequels. In recent years he’s proven himself a versatile and thoughtful leading man, excelling in emotionally rich indie-film roles like Columbus as well as genre TV gigs like Fox’s The Exorcist. He’s spoken out against whitewashing in film and TV on numerous occasions, once tweeting in 2014: “Stop turning Asian roles white. It’s bullshit and we all know it.”
Mustafa Shakir is Jet Black
One of Mustafa Shakir’s first uncredited roles was playing a protestor in the 2000 film Shaft. More recently he’s popped up in shows like The Night Of, American Gods, The Deuce, and Luke Cage as the villain Bushmaster. He’s got the build as Jet Black (especially after bulking up for the Bushmaster role), and it’s easy to imagine Shakir carrying Jet’s intensity, but also his weakness. Shakir has said that he’s been thoughtful about giving his flawed characters layers and imagining that they believe they’re doing the right thing, even when they’re wrong—which is Jet all the way. “I just believed in him,” Shakir told The Hollywood Reporter about his take on the Bushmaster. “I had to really fight for him, fight for everything he wanted. And to feel good about the process.”
Daniella Pineda is Faye Valentine
Mexican American actress Dianella Pineda has played Zia Rodriguez in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and starred in plenty of TV roles including The Originals, American Odyssey, and The Detour. Pineda also apparently once made a cup of coffee explode underneath the ass of Spielberg collaborator and Hollywood mega-producer Frank Marshall (Back to the Future, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Land Before Time). It may be just about the most Faye Valentine story ever. Pineda described the incident to /Film like this:
And I went to go get something in my bag and Frank walks up to me and he’s like, you know, Daniella, I’ve been meaning to tell you and then he turns around and sits on the coffee and it fucking like compresses and explodes. And he’s like ohh… And I’m like… I just sprayed hot coffee all over one of the most powerful producers’ ass. I’m gonna get fired.
Alex Hassell is Vicious
As a stage actor for several years, Alex Hassell is well acquainted with the Bard, having played Henry V for the Royal Shakespeare Company as well as Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Proms. The roles should hopefully prepare him for Vicious’s obsessive behavior and over-the-top dialogue. He has only recently started taking Hollywood roles, including Suburbicon and forthcoming films like The Red Sea Diving Resort. The latter is a spy movie that sounds like it will have prepared him for the role of Vicious. “I drove trucks, scuba dived, looked all shifty and had a gun,” he told Entertainment Focus. But he qualified his thoughts: “I do actually think guns are terrible things that should be banished out of all existence.” Given that Vicious exclusively uses swords in Bebop, perhaps Hassell will be more comfortable in this gig.
But WHERE are Ein and Ed?
This was the big question on my mind as soon as the announcement dropped. Ed and Ein are hands-down the brainiest characters on the show and easily as important as any of the four above. Here’s hoping we get an extremely cuddly dog and a fantastically talented young person to own these roles.
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