Ask John: What Can the American Cowboy Bebop Movie Do To Succeed?
Question:
Anime movies in general have had bad- bad- live action adaptations. Keanu Reeves recently announced that he and Fox saw the script for Cowboy Bebop and loved it, but then decided to simply rewrite everything because they thought it’d cost “half a billion dollars.” I find this news rather bothersome as I’m not sure how the world of Cowboy Bebop could be effectively portrayed on a shoestring budget. What advice you would have to offer Hollywood, John. What would you advise them to do to transform the live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop into a hit movie, while preventing it from becoming just another schlocky Dragon Ball Evolution?
Answer:
I’m not a Hollywood producer or director, so my insight into the movie making process is somewhat unencumbered by the practical minutiae of actually getting a movie made. So any advice I suggest has to be taken as armchair quarterbacking. At the same time, I’m precisely the paying audience that a live action Cowboy Bebop movie is targeted at. Not only am I a fan of the original property, I’m a fan of stylish, big budget mainstream action movies. So the sort of advice I can offer reflects exactly what I want to see in a finished Cowboy Bebop live action movie. I’m sure that I could come up with plenty of suggestions given time and adequate motivation. Lacking both, I’ll just propose the thoughts that most readily come to mind.
At least in my mind I believe that it’s more important for a live action Cowboy Bebop film to reflect the tone and style of the original anime than literally recreate the anime in live action. The purpose of a live action Cowboy Bebop movie isn’t to tribute the anime or renew interest in the anime. The Cowboy Bebop anime is uniquely fascinating because of its carefully balanced tone of melancholy, wry humor, and excitement, and its simultaneous evocation of familiar nostalgia and futurism. The purpose of a live action Cowboy Bebop film should be introducing that complex and nuanced atmosphere to mainstream American movie viewers. With that goal in mind, I think that the most important component of a live action American Cowboy Bebop movie will be the director, with elements like the actors, script, visual effects, and score following behind. While it’s tempting to envision successful current sci-fi directors like James Cameron, Neill Blomkamp, J.J. Abrams, or Sam Raimi helming the film, I also envision those directors being more interested in other projects. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are also easy fantasy choices, but both directors also bring a lot of baggage and reputation to the film and, more importantly, its marketing.
An ideal director for a live action Cowboy Bebop movie would be someone with a proven ability to engage the potential of an ensemble cast; a director able to recognize and adapt the distinctive atmospheric spirit of Cowboy Bebop; and a director whose paycheck won’t decimate the film’s production budget. Kathryn Bigelow (Near Dark, The Hurt Locker), David O. Russell (Three Kings), Joss Whedon (Firefly, Serenity), and Simon Hunter (Mutant Chronicles) have proven their ability to direct dramatic action films with ensemble casts. Highlander and Resident Evil: Extinction director Russell Mulcahy’s latest action noir film Give ’em Hell Malone seems like an ideal preparation for Cowboy Bebop. The Hughes Brothers may be an obvious choice because of their current sci-fi action film The Book of Eli, but I also see them quite capable of crafting a respectable Cowboy Bebop movie. Moving into some possibly more daring selections, Hulk and Crouching Tiger director Ang Lee may be capable of grasping and recreating the unique tone of Cowboy Bebop. Andy Goddard, who directed a half-dozen episodes of the excellent Torchwood television series may also be a good candidate.
While there’s been a lot of anxiety over the involvement of Keanu Reeves, I’m not party to that camp. I’m encouraged by the word that Reeves is a fan of the original property. Reeves undeniably resembles Spike Speigel. His work in The Matrix proves beyond doubt that he’s capable of the physical action necessary to portray a convincing Spike. He’s often accused of being a poor actor, but that’s precisely what makes him an ideal Spike Speigel. Spike isn’t an especially emotive character and his joviality always barely hides his morose preoccupation. Keanu Reeves really may be the ideal live action Spike Speigel. In fact, the very fact that Reeves is passionate about this project may be exactly what the film needs most.
Cowboy Bebop is already a franchise with strong potential. The original anime has an aesthetic that naturally suggests live action. Unlike a franchise such as Dragon Ball or Street Fighter that rely heavily upon fantasy and require a lot of tweaking in order to succeed convincingly in live action, Cowboy Bebop lends itself to live action. Budget is not the problem nor the solution. Certainly a Cowboy Bebop movie can’t be made convincingly on a shoe-string, but it’s also a franchise that doesn’t need an inflated budget for extensive visual effects or high priced talent. In fact, the film would probably be better served if star Keanu Reeves took a smaller up-front paycheck and bigger residuals in order to leave more money for the production work. So my best advice to Twentieth Century Fox regarding the development of a live action Cowboy Bebop movie is to hire a director capable of transitioning the anime into live action then allowing the director to work without interference. Cowboy Bebop succeeds because it expresses so much personality through its cast, setting, and action. Nothing will sink the movie faster than studio imposed demands that the film compromise or reign itself in to be accessible to the Hollywood ideal of the mainstream American viewing audience. An ideal Cowboy Bebop live action movie should feel like an independent film featuring Hollywood caliber action and production values. A live action Cowboy Bebop movie should not be a kids’ film. That’s not to say that it needs to include excess intense violence or sexuality; it just needs to be intelligent and stylish without being campy or pretentious. I think that there are plenty of directors working in Hollywood capable of making a film like that if they’re allowed to do so without studio executives hovering over their shoulders and co-directing the movie.
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I think Troy Duffy, writer and director of Boondock Saints, would be a good choice for a live-action Cowboy Bebop film. He can make good action movies on relatively small budgets ($6-8 million). He also has a knack for the synthesis of dark, gritty action with dark, gritty humor.
One thing I feel that John has left out is the title element of Cowboy Bebop: Music. Yoko Kanno’s music was one of the most important elements of Cowboy Bebop’s action and style. I don’t know who else could pull off the same result within the western film industry, but I think this is the element that Hollywood is most likely to ignore .
I still don’t understand how Bebop would cost as much as Avatar in the first place. It’s got only a fraction of the friggin’ technology and planet-hopping.
“Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are also easy fantasy choices, but both directors also bring a lot of baggage and reputation to the film and, more importantly, its marketing.”
Do you really wanna see a sci-fi movie where the characters talk for about two hours and only briefly whip out their lazer guns? And Whedon already made a Bebop movie. ^_- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdt1N2101pU Personally, I’d just get Chris Nolan, since he pretty much stole a key scene from the Bebop movie for Batman Begins, anyway.
“Reeves undeniably resembles Spike Speigel.”
If Spike were a surfer, sure. He doesn’t have a ‘fro, though.
“His work in The Matrix proves beyond doubt that he’s capable of the physical action necessary to portray a convincing Spike.”
Ten years ago, yes. He might not be in the same shape now, though.
“then allowing the director to work without interference.”
Well, it does have to be marketable. I don’t want to end up with another bore-fest like Speed Racer.
“Nothing will sink the movie faster than studio imposed demands that the film compromise or reign itself in to be accessible to the Hollywood ideal of the mainstream American viewing audience.”
Saw DB: E, I take it? Remember kids, if you have the dough to sign up for the Razzies, you, too, can help it win awards for things like Worst Couple and Worst Remake.
kampfer: I might have agreed if it was the pre-Boondock Saints 2 Troy Duffy. Man, was that thing pretentious.
On a very base level, it has got to be as stylish as this or I would be let down:
http://www.geeksix.com/2009/12/firefly-cowboy-bebop-oceans-eleven-a-new-show-that-answers-all-my-prayers/
Just my two cents on Reeves: I understand his desire to do this right, but he’s horribly miscast, as well as too old. If age doesn’t matter, then get John Cusack to play the role. He has the loose, self-deferring delivery and movement to be Spike.
I also concur on Kanno. The story is cool, but the music is what totally hooked me. The whole damn show oozed “swankiness” because of the music. With out it, it’s only half the show.
Haven’t had an opportunity to see Boondock Saints 2 yet, but Troy Duffy does seem like a good candidate whom I’d overlooked.
I do want to point out one consideration I had actually thought about. It’s true that Reeves is older now than he was when he did a lot of intense physical action for The Matrix, but keep in mind that Spike Speigel doesn’t have to pull off as much nor as intense physical action as Neo.
Personally, my spike would be Tadanobu Asano.
The best thing to have Bebop a success is to have a director that knows his film history. There is so much of 30’s film in Bebop that not to keep the style consistent would be a loss. Faye could come out of any mike Hammer film. Spike is a cross between the layback of Bogart & the over confidence of Eastwood. In many of the episodes there is a fatal sadness to the story line, These are some of the things I will be looking for in a live Bebop production.