Movies:
By CHARLENE CHENG, News Editor
Published 1/21/2009
Exclusive News: PRODUCER ERWIN STOFF GIVES iF THE SCOOP ABOUT THE 'COWBOY BEEBOP' REMAKE -- IT WON'T BE AN ORIGIN MOVIE!
LOCATION: Space
THE SKINNY: Last summer, iF Magazine broke the news that the classic Anime series COWBOY BEEBOP was in development as a live-action feature film.
Now, iF has some more exclusive information from producer Erwin Stoff after last week's official announcement of the movie getting and greenlight and Keanu Reeves being cast as intergalactic bounty hunter Spike Spiegel.
The truth of the matter of is, Im not going to know anything else until theres a script, Stoff tells iF, but wed like to make it next year.
Peter Craig is on board to pen the script, and Stoff is quick to note that the story will pick up with Spiegel already in action.
Its not an origin story, says Stoff. We start with him, when he is in his present life already.
Many of the key people involved in the Anime series, including the series director and writer Shinichirô Watanabe. Most importantly, Stoff says, Watanabe will be involved every step of the way, since he will be an associate producer on the film alongside the Anime series producer Kenji Uchida and show writer Keiko Nobumoto.
First of all, were honoring the series, says Stoff. I dont know how many people can say this, but the first thing we did was go over and meet with Watanabe. We started there. He will be the first guy to read a script when its done. Well discuss directors with him. As far as the cast goes, I cant tell you who is going to play what, but I cant imagine that were not going to have a totally multi-ethnic cast.