‘Cowboy Bebop’ Live-Action TV Series in the Works

“Cowboy Bebop,” a critically and commercially successful 1998 Japanese anime series, is set to be adapted into a live action television series by Tomorrow Studios, a partnership between ITV Studios and Marty Adelstein.

The live action version will be executive produced by Sunset Inc. — the studio responsible for the original animated iteration — as well as Midnight Radio, Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, and Matthew Weinberg. Midnight Radio consists of Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, and Scott Rosenberg. Chris Yost will write the adaptation.

“Cowboy Bebop,” which takes place in 2071 in the original version, follows Spike Spiegel and his gang of bounty hunters, also known as cowboys, as they cavort around the galaxy attempting to capture bad guys and survive some of the most intense dangers the galaxy has to offer. The anime series has been successful in Western markets, and is credited with introducing a new wave of Western viewers to anime. It’s also widely cited as one of the best anime series of all time.

“Cowboy Bebop” already received the feature film treatment in 2001 with “Cowboy Bebop: The Movie,” which is set amidst the latter third of the 26-episode anime series and received mostly positive reviews from critics. In the same year, the original series became the first anime series to be broadcast on Adult Swim in the United States.