'Cowboy Bebop' Production Halted After John Cho Injured On Set, Won't Resume For 7 To 9 Months

Just a couple weeks ago, Netflix showed off the production of their live-action series adaptation of the massively popular anime series Cowboy Bebop with a behind the scenes featurette straight from the set in New Zealand. Unfortunately, that'll be the last glimpse we see of the production for awhile, because it's now halted for seven to nine months after John Cho sustained a knee injury in a freak accident that happened "on the last take of a routine and well-rehearsed scene." Find out more about the Cowboy Bebop production delay below.

Deadline was first to report on the Cowboy Bebop production delay. John Cho's injury is serious enough to require surgery back in Los Angeles, and afterwards he'll need "extensive rehabilitation" in order to properly walk again without injuring himself any further. Production will resume whenever John Cho is fully recovered.

This has to be a big bummer for Netflix, who likely already had their release plan all figured out for sometime in 2020. They were already a few episodes into the 10-episode season they ordered, so replacing John Cho at this point isn't a possibility without spending a bunch more money, and they're apparently not very keen on the idea of recasting his role anyway. At least the post-production team has more time to get those episodes polished for whenever the eventual series debuts, which probably won't be until 2021 at the earliest.

Following the breaking story, Netflix released a statement saying, "Our thoughts are with John, and he has our complete support as he recuperates from this injury." As for John Cho, he thanked fans for their support and well-wishes, and he even included an inspiring quote from Bruce Lee:

Cowboy Bebop is written and executive produced by Chris Yost. Tomorrow Studios, Midnight Radio and Sunrise, the original studio behind the anime, are all executive producing along with Tetsu Fujimura and Matthew Weinberg, and Shinichiro Watanabe, director of the original anime, serves as consultant.. Here's the official synopsis:

Cowboy Bebop is the jazz-inspired, genre-bending story of Spike Spiegel (Cho), an impossibly cool "cowboy" (bounty hunter) with a deadly smile, a wry wit and style to spare, and his ragtag crew of bounty hunters on the run from their pasts as they hunt down the solar system's most dangerous criminals. They'll even save the world — for the right price.