Actor John Cho suffered a freak knee injury on the set of Netflix’s upcoming Cowboy Bebop, and now the live-action series will halt production for seven to nine months while he recovers, Deadline reports.
Cho, who had been shooting on location in New Zealand, was hurt during the last take of what is being described as a well-rehearsed and routine scene. The injury will require surgery and Cho is flying back to Los Angeles for the procedure and rehabilitation. Filming will resume based on Cho’s recovery.
Several installments of the live-action Cowboy Bebop, which is an adaptation of the beloved Japanese animated series, had been shot by the time Cho got hurt. (For a behind-the-scenes look, check out the video above.) The show has a 10-episode order and could technically recast the lead role of Spike Spiegel, which Cho is playing, but Netflix vows to stick with Cho and deal with any and all logistical hiccups.
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The 26-episode Cowboy Bebop, one of the most heralded anime series in the world, aired in Japan from 1998 to 1999 and received a number of anime and science-fiction awards. An international smash, the space western sparked worldwide interest in anime. It premiered in the U.S. on Adult Swim in 2001.
Chris Yost wrote and executive-produced the new Cowboy Bebop, and just like the original it is a jazz-inspired, genre-bending story of Spike Spiegel, a witty, cucumber cool “cowboy” and bounty hunter with a deadly smile.
John Cho