When the first still images of Netflix's live-action adaptation of the iconic Cowboy Bebop anime appeared, many fans wondered why Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV, better known as Ed, was nowhere to be found. While showrunner André Nemec did not confirm her as part of Season 1 in a recent interview, he did tease a likely appearance from the eccentric hacker.
"Ed — everybody wants to know about Ed," Nemec told Polygon. It wasn't the first time the showrunner had been asked about the character's noticeable absence from the promotion materials (and it probably won't be the last). While he didn't make anything explicit, there seemed to be a confirmation of Ed appearing at some point in Cowboy Bebop's Season 1, when he stated, "People will be ... very delighted when they watch the season."
While Ed not being in the first looks at Netflix's live-action adaptation has left some fans worried, it actually makes a fair amount of sense. The anime's first episode only introduced viewers to Spike Spiegel and Jet Black, and Faye Valentine joined the team in the third episode. Everyone's favorite whimsical, hyperactive hacker did not debut until the ninth episode, titled "Jamming With Edward."
Nemec discussed other surprises the live-action Cowboy Bebop has ready for longtime fans and those new to the franchise. For example, he described how viewers are in for a treat when it comes to the show's music and score. Yoko Kanno, the primary composer for the original anime, has returned for the Netflix series and completely reimagined the sound of the story, "hitting some of your old favorites in Cowboy Bebop, and really digging deep and into the skin of our telling of Cowboy Bebop and the characters as presented."
"Anybody who loves the music from Cowboy Bebop is going to love beyond what Yoko has done for us on this show," Nemec explained. "It is really sensational. I will hear music pieces come in, we will talk about character and theme, and then when I get those pieces there have been more times than I can remember that I hear something and I’m like … a smile comes to my face." When asked if the iconic track "Tank!" will play across the live-action show's opening credits, he once again did not give an outright answer, but did respond by saying, "You’ll be thrilled when you watch the show."
The showrunner also promised surprises in terms of the team's superintelligent Corgi Ein. "As always, there was something to talk about with each one of [the characters]. What is the real soul of this character? We did that work for Ein as well," he explained.
The live-action Cowboy Bebop is set to premiere on Netflix on Nov. 19.
Source: Polygon