While we originally only had anonymous sources to go off, it's now official: Netflix's Cowboy Bebop is cancelled. The news comes from Jet Black actor Mustafa Shakir, who commented on the unceremonious cancellation on his Instagram, expressing gratitude to the studio for giving him that chance to play the iconic anime character.
Shakir's statement seems to indicate that the production of the show was troubled, which isn't surprising given the ongoing pandemic. He also appears to confirm that the live-action adaption was canned due to its high cost, as he says it was a "big ship that needed a lot of fuel".
"What a cool opportunity right?! I got to play Jet Black! I’ll never not be him..so to speak. That’s badass to me", wrote Shakir, alongside an image of him on the Cowboy Bebop set. "Netflix went balls to wall for us in order to get it done. They really looked out for us when shit hit the fan".
Shakir doesn't ignore the criticism the show attracted, with many fans unhappy with the often awkward dialogue. "Maybe the 'haters' and the critics got us maybe it wasn’t as good as we thought. All I know is we got this done under the craziest conditions and I’m proud of what we did".
"Thank you for dreaming with us. See you space cowboys. Forever yours, Jet Black".
This sign of defeat will come as a disappointment to some viewers, as many have started petitions for the show to go on. Within 24 hours of reports suggesting the second season had been axed, thousands of fans had already rallied together. The petition we reported on has now reached a little under 30,000 signatures, but it remains to be seen if this is enough for Netflix to fund a second season, or at least a one-off special to wrap up the story. It has done this in the past with Sense8, but the streaming giant has definitely been more reluctant to walk back on cancellations in recent years.