Cowboy Bebop Showrunner Teases 'Big Plans' For Season 2
Although Netflix's live-action adaptation of the beloved Japanese-animated series "Cowboy Bebop" isn't even available for viewing yet, fans are getting excited. The streaming service officially premiered its sci-fi series last night at an event at Hollywood's Goya Studios, which means launch day is coming soon.
As fans of the 1998 anime from the animation company Sunrise Inc. know, the original "Cowboy Bebop" aired over 26 episodes and spanned a number of genres, including space operas, Westerns, comedy, and noir films. It focused on a group of bounty hunters in 2071 and was critically acclaimed on an almost universal basis, turning it into an influential and essential series for anime lovers, as opined by CBR. Credited with introducing many viewers to Japanese animation, it still tops lists of the best anime series of all time. This, of course, made it a no-brainer for a high-profile revival at Netflix, which, in recent years, has invested heavily in anime shows (via IGN).
Despite the fact that the new "Cowboy Bebop" isn't due on screens for another week, though, its showrunner is already looking ahead to Season 2.
'We definitely know where we want to go,' says showrunner Andre Nemec
Fans have long wanted more "Cowboy Bebop" but never received it — until now. Shinichiro Watanabe, the original series' director, told The Daily Texan in 2006 that he'd had an ending in mind before the series began, making the run of "Cowboy Bebop" finite and unsatisfying for some. To top it off, the series ended on a slightly ambiguous note. However, showrunner André Nemec may be getting ready to dig deeper. He told The Hollywood Reporter at the premiere, "Nothing was more fun than being able to say, 'Well, what did happen?' And I'm like, 'Well, I've got an answer!'"
Not only that, it sounds like the staff is already banking on a second season. "If [Netflix CEO] Ted Sarandos comes by, you tell him I got big plans for season two," Nemec said. "We definitely know where we want to go, and I'm excited that we get to tell those stories. Fingers crossed that we get more 'Cowboy Bebop.'"
And this isn't even the first time someone associated with the production has speculated on the future. Christopher Yost, a "Cowboy Bebop" writer and producer, said the planning of Season 2 had begun before he even wrote the 1st season. "Hopefully a global audience embraces it, because we've got a lot more stories to tell," he told Vanity Fair. "Across the lore of 'Bebop,' there are certain episodes and stories that are just slam dunk, no-brainers to tell. And I would certainly love to tell more of them."
Nemec told the magazine it was impossible not to think about future seasons. "So we'll get through season one and then, if there's a season two, [I'm] just noodling on what the possibilities could be," he said.
Those possibilities open up on November 19, when "Cowboy Bebop" finally drops on Netflix.