There is little doubt that the upcoming live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop will feature a diverse cast led by John Cho. Interestingly, screenwriter Javier Grillo-Marxuach has pointed out that there will be no whitewashing involved in the Netflix series and managed to shade Scarlett Johansson's Ghost in the Shell movie.
Back in 2017, Johansson starred in the Hollywood adaptation of the manga where the Major was turned into a white woman. Needless to say, people were not pleased with this and the film suffered from backlash. Although this whole thing has somehow been forgotten since then, Grillo-Marxuach decided to bring it up again when talking to io9 about his own Netflix show.
"Spike Spiegel has to be Asian. Like, you can't Scarlett Johansson this shit," he said. "We are making a show that takes place in a future that is multicultural, that is extraordinarily integrated and where those things are the norm."
This is great to know considering that the adaptation could face major backlash if the lead character is once again whitewashed. Luckily, fans can expect Cho to lead a diverse cast in the Netflix series.
Cowboy Bebop will also star Mustafa Shakir, Daniella Pineda, Alex Hassell and Elena Satine as Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Vicious, and Julia. For now, the upcoming series has not yet been given an official release date. Stay tuned for more updates on this story.
Related: Netflix's Cowboy Bebop Will Make Faye Valentine's Outfit Less Revealing
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