Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop Star Mustafa Shakir On Series Cancellation: “Maybe The ‘Haters’ And The Critics Got Us, Maybe It Wasn’t As Good As We Thought”
Spencer Baculi
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In light of its damning three-week lifespan, one of the stars of Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop, Mustafa Shakir, has begun to mull the idea that rather than “‘haters and the critics’”, the series’ abrupt cancellation was caused by the fact that “it wasn’t as good as we thought”.
COWBOY BEBOP (L to R) MUSTAFA SHAKIR as JET BLACK and JOHN CHO as SPIKE SPIEGEL of COWBOY BEBOP Cr. KIRSTY GRIFFIN/NETFLIX © 2021
Shakir’s explained his realization on December 10th, the day after the streaming giant officially announced that they would not be moving forward with any more seasons of the ill-fated live-action anime adaptation, in accompaniment to an Instagram shared in reflection of his time as the Bebop’s de facto leader, Jet Black.
“What a cool opportunity right?,” wrote Shakir alongside a black-and-white image of himself on-set as Jet. “I got to play Jet Black! I’ll never not be him..so to speak. That’s badass to me.”
Noting that “@netflix went balls to wall for us in order to get it done,” the actor then offered his thanks for how “They really looked out for us when shit hit the fan,” though he did not elaborate on what specific events he was referring to.
However, Shakir then admitted, “But at the end of the day business is business and this was a big ship that needed a lot of fuel,” before reasoning “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,” he ultimately concluded. “Thank you for dreaming with us. See you space cowboys. Forever yours, Jet Black.”
COWBOY BEBOP (L to R) MUSTAFA SHAKIR as JET BLACK and JOHN CHO as SPIKE SPIEGEL of Cowboy Bebop Cr. GEOFFREY SHORT/NETFLIX © 2021
The solemn and gracious exit statement by Shakir – who, despite the show’s overall quality, was regularly praised as the least offensive thing about it – stands in stark contrast to the tantrum thrown by Cowboy Bebop script supervisor Naomi Markman on the day of the series’ cancellation.
Taking to Twitter on December 9th, Markman boasted, “not to rub it in your faces, but as the individual who has read the cowboy bebop s2 scripts more than anyone else in this world – f–k you’re missing out,” before eventually crying foul after receiving pushback from the very same people she previously antagonized.
Archive Link Source: Naomi Markman Twitter
“my dear troll friends, you do realize that literally hundreds of people lost their jobs today, right? jobs we loved and cared about?” asked Markman after discovering that the idea of a second season of Cowboy Bebop was resoundingly unpopular among audiences.
Archive Link Source: Naomi Markman Twitter
Attempting to elicit sympathy for the insulting job done by her and the rest of Cowboy Bebop’s production team, Markamn then argued, “just because you don’t like the food at a restaurant doesn’t mean you would celebrate when it closes down tf. you wouldn’t mock the waiters or chefs, I beg of you to touch some grass and give someone you love a hug.”
Archive Link Source: Naomi Markman Twitter
“My entire life was turned upside down less than 12 hours ago along with hundreds of my dearest peers,” she eventually concluded. “Consider having a god damn ounce of compassion or empathy.”
Archive Link Source: Naomi Markman Twitter
What do you make of Shakir’s Instagram post? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!
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