Hollywood star Keanu Reeves has risen to become one of the biggest actors in Hollywood since his debut in the 1986 sports drama Youngblood. While he has gained worldwide recognition by starring in popular franchises like The Matrix and John Wick, there are still some roles that he wished to play but never got the opportunity to do so. And he has also been quite open about these roles, as he has shared that he wished to portray Wolverine and Ghost Rider.
One such role also included the lead part in the live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime series Cowboy Bebop. The actor opened up about his wish to star in Cowboy Bebop live-action during an interview as he shared what aspects attracted him to the project.
Keanu Reeves Wanted to Star in Live-Action Cowboy Bebop
Created by the animation studio Sunrise, Cowboy Bebop follows a bounty hunter, Spike Spiegel, and his crew traveling through the space to capture criminals. In 2008, it was reported that 20th Century Fox was planning a live-action adaptation of the popular series with producer Erwin Stoff.
It was also claimed that Sunrise Studio would be closely involved with the live-action adaptation. After the news broke out, the Constantine actor Keanu Reeves shared his wish to star in the Cowboy Bebop live-action adaptation, saying, “There are a lot of things to take into consideration, but we think we can do something good.”
He shared that it’s “Western film noir” and “low-tech science fiction aspect” of the series attracted him to the project. He also stated that the producer had already hired a writer, as he shared the potential story of the movie. According to the Speed actor, the plot involved a drug developed by the military, which would have been based on an element from the series.
While it was expected to have a massive budget and was expected to be released in 2010, the live-action adaptation movie never happened. Actor John Cho was seen portraying Spike Spiegel in the 2021 live-action TV series.
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What Happened to Cowboy Bebop Live-Action Adaptation?
Netflix released a live-action TV series based on Cowboy Bebop in 2021. The series featured the American actor John Cho in the lead role of Spike Spiegel. However, there has been no update about the live-action adaptation, which was reported earlier in 2008.
Not only did Keanu Reeves express his wish to star in the live-action adaptation, but he was also rumored to be considered for the lead role in the movie. Considering his involvement with the movie, it was expected to have a massive budget, also having the original crew members of the series as associate producers.
However, things did not fully take off for the project, as it went through some budget issues, which also caused a script rewrite for the movie. The director of the original series, Shinichiro Watanabe, stated during a 2014 interview that “the project has not come to a stop.”
He said that he had no idea what “they’re thinking in Hollywood,” alleging that there were some Hollywood problems with the project, and he had no idea how it was expected to progress from there. Whatever the case may be, Reeves is not believed to be attached to the project anymore.
Source: Anime News Network
