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Cowboy Bebop: Daniella Pineda, Lucifer Star Take On Faye Gatekeepers

With Netflix's live-action series adaptation of the popular anime set to premiere on November 19, the streamer released a set of impressive first-look images of John Cho (Spike Spiegel), Mustafa Shakir (Jet Black), and Daniella Pineda (Faye Valentine) in full-on Cowboy Bebop mode. And while the vast majority of the social media universe continues to be cautiously excited by what they've been seeing, you know there are always "Those Folks." In this case, "those folks" are the anime gatekeepers who went on the attack over Faye's outfit/costume in the images released being different from the anime as well as over Pineda not being "the right body type" for the role. Well, let's just say that Pineda had something to say to the narrow-minded- and she wasn't alone. Netflix neighbor and Lucifer star Lesley-Ann Brandt also offered her support- as well as a reminder about how what you see on the page doesn't always have to translate directly to live-action for it to work.

cowboy bebop
Image: Netflix

"First, I wanted to apologize to the fans that I did not anatomically match the Faye Valentine character. Six foot, double-D sized breasts, two-inch waist. You know, they looked everywhere for that woman and they couldn't find her, it was kinda weird. So they just went with my short ass, I know, am I right?", Pineda responded in an IG Stories post addressing the complaints. And as for the issues with her outfit? Pineda had some thoughts on that as well, replying: "You know, we tried, but doing stunts in tissue paper, things disappear, they rip, sometimes just got lost… Anyway, like I was saying, that original costume, they made a couple of them, but like I said, they got sort of slurped up in my various crevices, never to be retrieved again, so we needed to build something that could withstand the test of time." Then Brandt took to Twitter to not just offer Pineda her support but to also remind "whoever needs to hear this" that her take on the comic book version of Mazikeen seemed to work out pretty damn fine, thank you very much:

Cho, Pineda, and Shakir are joined by Alex Hassell (The Red Sea Diving Resort; Suburbicon), Elena Satine (Strange Angel), Geoff Stults (Little Fires Everywhere, 12 Strong), Tamara Tunie (Black Earth Rising, Dietland), Mason Alexander Park (Hedwig and the Angry Inch National Broadway Tour), Rachel House (Thor Ragnarok, Soul), Ann Truong (Strikeback!, Hard Target 2), and Hoa Xuanda (Ronny Chieng: International Student, Top of the Lake) on the streaming service's live-action series.

Welcome to the World of Netflix's Cowboy Bebop!

Spike Spiegel (Cho): Spike Spiegel is an impossibly cool "cowboy" (bounty hunter) with a deadly smile, a wry wit, and style to spare. He travels the solar system with his ex-cop partner, Jet, pursuing the future's most dangerous bounties with a combination of charm, charisma — and deadly Jeet Kune Do.

Jet Black (Shakir): Jet Black was one of the few honest cops in the solar system before an ultimate betrayal robbed him of all that he loved, forcing him into a vagabond life of hunting bounties to put food on the table. Jet is an inveterate jazz enthusiast and Captain of the Bebop.

Faye Valentine (Pineda): Faye Valentine is a bold, brash, and unpredictable bounty hunter. Suffering from amnesia after years of being cryogenically frozen, Faye does whatever it takes to survive. Whether she's lying, stealing, or just being a thorn in Spike and Jet's side.

cowboy bebop
Cowboy Bebop (Image: Netflix)

Vicious (Hassell): A man who thoroughly enjoys a good kill, Vicious is the Syndicate's most notorious hitman. He's also Spike Spiegel's ex-partner and arch-enemy.

Julia (Satine): With a sultry beauty and a voice to die for, Julia is the dream-like object of Spike Spiegel's desire. She struggles to survive in a violent world.

Chalmers (Stults): Chalmers is the epitome of a Western lawman. He is also Jet Black's former co-detective in the ISSP's Homicide Division. He wears a chronic smile that makes you want to punch him square in the face… especially Jet. And that's only partly because Chalmers is dating his ex-wife these days.

Ana (Tunie): Ana is the proprietor of the hottest underground bluesy jazz club on Mars. And while she acts as a surrogate mom to Spike, there is nothing warm and cuddly about her. Cool and intense, Ana is definitely not a woman to be trifled with.

Gren (Park): Gren is Ana's right-hand person. They run the front of the house for Ana's jazz club. As capable with their wit as a glock, as confident in a dress as a suit, they are a Bowie-esque embodiment of 22nd century handsome and seductive beauty.

Mao (House): Mao is the Capo of the Syndicate's "White Tigers" family. Despite, or perhaps because of, her blue-collar background, Mao is more cunning, adept, crafty, and deadly than her counterparts.

Shin (Truong) & Lin (Xuande): Dressed to kill (because they do), Shin and Lin serve as Vicious' twin Syndicate henchmen. Despite being fearful of their volatile boss, they are fiercely loyal to Vicious in his quest (for reasons we have yet to understand) to take down Spike Spiegel.

A look behind the scenes of Netflix's Cowboy Bebop (Image: Netflix).
A look behind the scenes of Netflix's Cowboy Bebop (Image: Netflix).

The series is a co-production between Netflix and Tomorrow Studios (a partnership between Marty Adelstein and ITV Studios), with André Nemec and Jeff Pinkner of Midnight Radio serving as showrunners and executive-producing. Christopher Yost (Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok) wrote the first episode and will executive produce. In addition, Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg of Midnight Radio (Limetown, High Fidelity, Knightfall); Adelstein and Becky Clements of Tomorrow Studios (Snowpiercer, Hanna); Yasuo Miyakawa, Masayuki Ozaki, and Shin Sasaki of Sunrise Inc; Tim Coddington, Tetsu Fujimura, Michael Katleman, and Matthew Weinberg will executive-produce. Original anime director Shinichiro Watanabe serves as a consultant.

daily dispatch
(Shutterstock.com)

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Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
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