Predicting Netflix's Next 10 Smash Hit Shows

Released: Not before 2021

One of the most legendarily stuck-in-development-hell projects of our time, the live action anime adaptation that fans most want to see may finally soon be here. Provided it can overcome the hurdles of its star's injured knee and the coronavirus shutting down virtually all TV and film shoots.

While live action, Western remakes of beloved anime properties have generally been met with anything from disengagement (Ghost In The Shell) to outright hatred (Death Note), Cowboy Bebop has always had a huge demand for a live action version ever since a Keanu Reeves-starring movie was mooted in the 2000s.

It won't just appeal to hardcore fans, either. Reminiscent of the likes of Firefly in its mashing together of sci-fi and western elements, Cowboy Bebop has always been more appealing and accessible to wider audiences unfamiliar with anime tropes and just looking for great TV.

The Netflix series, written by Marvel regular Christopher Yost (whose work on The Mandalorian suggests that he knows his way around a space western), has assembled a strong cast. John Cho has showed that he is far more than stoner Harold with a series of wildly different performances in recent years, especially in inventive thriller Searching, so makes for a good choice for enigmatic hero Spike Spiegel.

Cho's knee injury in October put filming on hold until this summer and the virus lockdown is likely to delay it even further, but live action Cowboy Bebop is nevertheless something that is finally actually happening and that's definitely something to be excited about.