Netflix has added half dozen brand-new actors to their upcoming live-action adaptation of the critically acclaimed space western anime Cowboy Bebop, Deadline reports. As the involvement of main cast members John Cho (Searching, Columbus), Mustafa Shakir (Luke Cage, The Night Of) and Daniella Pineda (The Detour, American Odyssey) was made public in 2019 via Deadline, the following six actors have been announced to join the series and portray key supporting roles.
Geoff Stults (Wedding Crashers, Enlisted) plays Chalmers, who formerly worked with Shakir’s Jet Black as detective for the Inter-Solar System Police (ISSP), according to an official Netflix tweet.
Chalmers is a new addition to the series, but his occupation is similar to that of Donnelly, Fad and Bob, who were all, at one time, ISSP associates of Jet’s in the anime.
Ann Truong (Sonnigsburg, Hard Target 2) and Hoa Xuande (Top Knot Detective, Ronny Chieng: International Student) play the villainous twins Shin and Lin, who aid the sadistic criminal Vicious (Alex Hassell, Two Down) in his dastardly hitman activities, Deadline reports. In the anime, Shin and Lin are not twins and both siblings are male.
Rachel House (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Moana) plays gender-flipped version of Mao Yenrai, the capo of an organized crime family, according to Deadline. House’s Mao is reportedly a member of the White Tiger syndicate, via Variety, whereas in the anime, Mao captains the rival Red Dragon syndicate.
Tamara Tunie (Flight, The Caveman’s Valentine) plays tough-as-nails Ana, who runs cool jazz club on Mars, as reported by Deadline. The Ana of the anime is convenience store owner Anastasia who had been Mao’s acquaintance for a time. She was voiced by Miyuki Ichijô (Rocket Girls, Maria the Virgin Witch).
Ana in the Netflix series is assisted in her business affairs by witty and dashing Gren, as portrayed by Mason Alexander Park (iCarly, Loveville High), Deadline reports. In Twitter video, Park, who is non-binary, confirmed that their new version of the character is likewise non-binary: “I didn’t grow up with a lot of gender-variant representation in the media… So I’m really psyched to be a part of the new crop of non-binary and transgender artists who are given such big platforms to tell their stories so that hopefully the next generation of Queer kids don’t question the validity of their experience in the same way.”
The Cowboy Bebop anime is free to watch with commercial interruptions on Tubi, or in its original dub on the official Adult Swim website.