Featured Image Credit: Sunrise Entertainment / Netflix
Topics: Film and TV
Callum Jones
The director of the original Cowboy Bebop has admitted that he stopped watching Netflix's live action adaptation of the series after just one scene.
The remake of the late 1990s anime was cancelled by Netflix after just one season and ten episodes in late 2021.
That was despite the first season's ending perfectly teeing up to a second, but fan and critic response seemingly crashed all prospects of another ten episodes.
It represented a risk well and truly not paying off for Netflix, as the first season was supposed to be the launch of a blockbuster new series for the streaming giant.
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Shinichirō Watanabe was certainly one of those who was not impressed by the remake of Cowboy Bebop as he turned off the live-action show after the first scene because he thought it didn't feel like the original anime that he helped create.
In a new interview with Forbes, Watanabe said: "For the new Netflix live-action adaptation, they sent me a video to review and check.
"It started with a scene in a casino, which made it very tough for me to continue.
"I stopped there and so only saw that opening scene.
"It was clearly not ‘Cowboy Bebop’ and I realized at that point that if I wasn’t involved, it would not be ‘Cowboy Bebop.’
"I felt that maybe I should have done this.
"Although the value of the original anime is somehow far higher now."
The remake of Cowboy Bebop was developed by Thor: Ragnarok screenwriter Christopher Yost, with the likes of Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements and Jeff Pinker as executive producers.
Columbus' John Cho starred in the live action adaption, alongside Mustafa Shakir, Daniella Pineda, Alex Hassell, Elena Satine and Geoff Stults.
But critics were not a fan of the series as it received just 47 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite that, Cho was shocked to discover that Netflix decided to cut the remake after just one season.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter last year, he said: "I was very warmed by the response [to the show].
"I wish I could have contacted everybody and gotten hugs.
"I’m mystified a little bit about how you can connect with people that you don’t know doing your work, but I won’t question it.
"I will value it and treasure it. I’m just really deeply appreciative that anyone would care.
"It’s stunning to me… It was very shocking and I was bummed."