Keanu Reeves Talks Cowboy Bebop

If you were one of those people hoping that that news of Keanu Reeves playing Spike Spiegel in a live-action movie version of “Cowboy Bebop” were just rumors, well sorry to disappoint you, because it’s very much true and Reeves says as much to MTV. So what exactly did Reeves have to say? He certainly shows real enthusiasm for the property, which I suppose is a good thing. Better to have a leading man who can control the production have a real vested interest in getting things right, then just a hired gun, right?

Here are some highlights from Reeves’ interview with MTV:

“It’s got a Western quality, a Western film noir aspect to it,” Reeves said of why he’s such a big fan of Shinichiro Watanabe and Keiko Nobumoto’s groundbreaking series. “It’s got so much style to it, and that’s part of its appeal. That kind of Old West, bordertown, low-tech science fiction aspect.”

The flick is currently being put together by Erwin Stoff, a producer who has spent the last two decades working almost exclusively on Reeves projects, and recently set the film up at 20th Century Fox. “We’ve got the rights, we’ve got a writer,” Keanu explained. “He’s putting together a scene outline.”

Reeves revealed that this outline for the flick is currently focusing on the origins of the fictional “Bebop” drug developed by the military, which provides its users with a brief surge of superhuman reflexes and awareness. “We’re taking the Red Eye [story], the beginning part of the series,” he explained, “and then we’ll deal with the end of the series. We’re trying to figure out [the time frame]. We’re looking at the story right now.”

I’ve made no secret that I’m not sure Reeves can even act, and I personally wouldn’t put the guy in any movie franchises that I love, but you know, it’s not like he’s not bankable. So, if just for that, having a guy like Reeves involved is definitely going to help get the movie actually made.

Now, as to whether that’s a good thing or not, well, it’s entirely up to you.

Below: The Cowboy Bebop crew have had some, er, “issues” with the law in their adventures.