If you’ve seen the original Cowboy Bebop anime, you’ll know the relationship between hardened ex-cop Jet Black and lovelorn, eternally hungry Spike Spiegel can be cantankerous and frayed at the best of times.
As that dynamic makes the leap to live-action on Netflix, Jet Black actor Mustafa Shakir talks to sister publication SFX Magazine about what to expect from the bickering bounty hunter duo.
"They are definitely the odd couple," Shakir says of the pair. "We’ve seen this before in different incarnations. This is the space odd couple, the Bert and Ernie with martial arts and guns. They are yin-yang. What the other lacks, the other has, and vice-versa."
Spike isn’t the only crew member joining Jet aboard the Bebop spaceship as they hunt for criminals across the stars in pursuit of a few Woolongs. Along the way, the team picks up a Welsh corgi called Ein.
The eternal rule of showbiz is to never work with animals or children. For his part, Shakir has no such regrets: "It was cool," he says. "If you have treats, you are the king or queen. They are fun, fluffy, and heavy as hell – I can’t reiterate that enough. It’s like they have an adamantium skeleton! I loved working with Ein. It was my first time working with an animal, so it was a pretty good experience."
Cowboy Bebop hits Netflix on November 19. For more on Cowboy Bebop, as well as an in-depth look at Star Trek Discovery’s new season, be sure to pick up a copy of the new SFX Magazine, out Wednesday, November 3, and available to order online.
