Netflix showrunner André Nemec has confirmed that his live-action Cowboy Bebop is an "expansion of the canon" rather than a beat-for-beat remake of the original anime.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Nemec discussed his approach to making a live-action Cowboy Bebop for Netflix, explaining how he hadn't wanted to replicate the story of the original anime with a direct adaptation, but rather step into its world to present an "expansion to the canon," with some original stories that will "add things" to the mythos.

"I promise we will never take the original anime away from the purists. It will always exist out there," Nemec assured fans of the Japanese anime classic. "But I'm very excited about the stories that we're telling. I believe we've done a really nice job of not violating the canon in any direction but merely offering some extra glimpses into the world that was already created."

We got under the skin of who the live-action characters were going to be," he added. "I think that the poetic nature of the anime absolutely allowed for us to mine the archetypal nature of the characters and dig out deeper histories that we wanted to explore — and answer some of the questions that the anime leaves you with."

Nemec expressed that he didn't feel the need to "serve the exact same meal" by retelling the same story in a different form, even though he acknowledged that the anime had done such an "amazing job." Ultimately, he felt redoing the anime would deliver disappointing results as it would "leave an audience hungry for something that they already saw."

Cowboy Bebop will debut its 10-episode first season on Netflix on November 19 — here's what we think the show needs to get right. The series joins several other live-action adaptations in the pipeline, including a new Netflix series based on One Piece, an Akira remake from director Taika Waititi, and a reimagined version of Your Name.

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Sonic co-creator Yuji Naka was shocked to see that a copy of 1991's Sonic the Hedgehog for Sega Genesis had amassed a jaw-dropping $430,500 at auction. So shocked, in fact, that after seeing the price that his iconic retro game had sold for, Naka took to Twitter to ask his followers whether the winning bid was a scam.

On September 19, Goldin Auctions announced that a final sale price for a Wata A-graded copy of Sonic the Hedgehog was an all-time record for any Genesis game. After seeing the announcement, Naka tweeted, seemingly holding out some hope that his game could reach such huge prices: "I wondered if it was time for Sonic to reach a high." However, the creator seemed unconvinced, asking his followers whether they thought the half a million price tag on his 1991 classic was "a scam".

Is it a scam?

— Yuji Naka / 中　裕司 (@nakayuji) September 21, 2021

Naka's hopes surrounding the game's auction price were seemingly pinned on the back of the news that a factory sealed copy of 1985's Super Mario Bros. sold at auction for a world-record sum of $2 million last month. "I saw the news that Mario was sold at a high price recently, so I thought Sonic was also a high price, but it's different. I'm sorry," Naka concluded in a thread of tweets. It's not clear what led Naka to believe this was a different situation to the Mario sale.

Naka's replies are full of skepticism surrounding the valuation of the cart, which started at a minimum bid price of $75,000 and received a total of 21 bids to take it up to its final auction price. Much of that skepticism seemingly surrounds the involvement of Wata Games in the sealed game's grading.

As prices in the retro games market have exploded over the last few years, Wata Games has faced controversy after journalist Karl Jobst released a YouTube video suggesting that the company had engaged in unethical practices to drive up the price of retro games at auction – although that allegation primarily involves a different auction company to Goldin. While Wata Games has denied the accusations (thanks VGC), a number of fans in the retro games community have seemingly remained suspicious about the company.

In other related news, Yuji Naka recently announced that he has taken a move toward the realm of indie games following his exit from Square Enix earlier this year. The Sonic co-creator informed fans that he'd recently begun working on a solo Unity project that is being created for smartphones.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Quantum Leap star Scott Bakula has revealed there are "significant conversations" taking place with regards to a possible reboot of the '90s sci-fi series.

As reported by Deadline, Bakula recently appeared as a guest on Bob Saget's Here For You podcast to tell stories and share insights into his decades-long career in the entertainment industry, including the time he body-hopped into the role of Dr. Sam Beckett, a time-travelling quantum physicist who leaps into other peoples lives to "put right what once went wrong."

During the discussion, Bakula confirmed that talks had been happening around a possible reboot of the series, which originally ran on NBC for five seasons, between 1989 and 1993. He didn't divulge the details of any such conversations, however, he indicated that those involved were in the very early stages of working out whether there's a way to bring the show back.

"There are very significant conversations about it right now going on," Bakula told Saget of a potential Quantum Leap reboot, though he admitted there may be some challenges. "I don't know what it would be. I don't know who would have it. The rights were a mess for years. I don't know if they're even sorted out now. That's always been the biggest complication."

Bakula also revealed that he had spoken to series creator Donald P. Bellisario periodically over the years about a potential comeback of the show. He said he had encouraged him to move forward with an idea despite jokingly noting that Dean Stockwell, who played his wise-cracking hologram sidekick Admiral Al Calavicci, "costs too much money" these days.

"[Bellisario] would always say, 'I can't write it without thinking of you and Dean [Stockwell].' I said, 'Just think about me and Dean and write your show. Get it out there. If you have an idea, just write it. I am sure it will be great,'" Bakula recalled of some of the past conversations he had had with Bellisario, admitting that he didn't know "what that idea would be if we did."

Several shows and sitcoms have received reboots, revivals, and spin-offs in recent years, albeit with mixed results. It seems that for every terrific and twisted Twin Peaks-level continuation, there's a disappointing Heroes Reborn. The minds behind these projects continue to test the water with audience reaction to see what works and what doesn't.

Plus, many series are continuing to get a second life, with Dexter Morgan set to make his return on Showtime, a Frasier revival with Kelsey Grammer greenlit at Paramount Plus, and a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot featuring a new cast set for NBCUniversal's Peacock. Outside of these ones, there's a whole list of cancelled TV shows we'd love to see revived at some point.

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

As the Roblox community continues to grow, the Roblox Corporation has taken the decision to roll out an ID verification service to confirm users' ages. Currently operating on an opt-in basis, the developer says that its new service will not only signal a level of trust between users but also enable the platform to provide better methods for age-appropriate communication between creators.

As announced in an article on the Roblox blog, the developer says that age verification on the platform is important as it rolls out its new communication tool, spatial voice. The feature, which is currently being tested in a limited Developer Beta and is set to move into early access soon, will allow users to engage in voice chat within spatial voice experiences in Roblox, and aims to mirror real-life conversation, taking into account proximity, tone of voice, and more.

Despite the company offering its age verification service on an opt-in basis, only those who successfully complete the process will be eligible for spatial voice chat when it becomes available for Public Beta. It's not clear if the age verification service will become mandatory in future although, given that more than 50% of Roblox users are under 13, it feels unlikely.

For Roblox, this primarily comes down to safety. "As our community continues to expand, both globally and by age (nearly 50% of the users on our platform are over the age of 13 as of Q2 2021), we want to make sure that everyone can express themselves in a safe and respectful way," explains Senior Product Manager Chris Ashton Chen. "Being confident in a user’s age and identity is a critical foundation for metaverse safety and civility. We are developing new and innovative ways to do so while always respecting users’ privacy."

So, how does it work? Roblox's ID verification process comes in two stages. Using image processing technology, Roblox will first ask users to submit to an ID document check via its app. The documents themselves can take a number of forms with the platform accepting a user's passport, driver's license, or ID card as appropriate means for verification.

To complete the verification process, those taking part will then need to capture a selfie using the system. Roblox says that this stage of the service checks for "liveness" (whether or not the image it's seeing is of a living, breathing human being) and "likeness" (whether or not you are actually the same person shown in the documents uploaded).

The Roblox Corporation says that its verification process will roll out over the course of the next few weeks. For those worried about their data and privacy, the developer has also assured users that the platform will not store user's raw ID documents nor selfie data. Instead, when a government-issued ID document is scanned, an anonymized value is generated, allowing Roblox to verify identity without risking exposure of the user's real identity.

Roblox's ID verification process might seem strict, but it's similar to that used by many gambling sites and financial apps worldwide. However, with the platform home to many young gamers, it's a move that will hopefully help to increase safety platform-wide.

In a similar vein, IGN previously reported that Roblox had seen a number of incidents of mass shooting recreations arising on its platform. While the developer hasn't stated that similar incidents are a reason for the introduction of an age verification service and ID checks, incorporating such a system would likely help to improve users' accountability throughout the community.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Daniel Craig is about to take his final bow as James Bond when No Time to Die finally hits theaters this October. Afterward, it’s anyone’s guess who the next James Bond will be.

While there has been plenty of speculation and fan casting, nothing is set in stone. But when asked if a woman should play the next Bond, Craig said that would be a disservice to female actors.

“There should simply be better parts for women and actors of color,” Craig tells the RadioTimes when asked about a female Bond. “Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?”

This comment echoes the sentiments of longtime James Bond film producer Barbara Broccoli who said in 2020, that “James Bond can be of any color, but he is male,” adding, “I believe we should be creating new characters for women — strong female characters… I’m not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that.”

In this regard, No Time to Die will have a female 00 agent who isn’t James Bond. Lashana Lynch is set to play another agent in the movie alongside Craig and you can see Lynch in several of the film’s trailers.

After multiple delays, No Time to Die will finally arrive in theaters in the US on October 8. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, No Time to Die will see several returning characters plus newcomers Lynch and a villain played by Rami Malek.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Daniel Craig is about to take his final bow as James Bond when No Time to Die finally hits theaters this October. Afterward, it’s anyone’s guess who the next James Bond will be.

While there has been plenty of speculation and fan casting, nothing is set in stone. But when asked if a woman should play the next Bond, Craig said that would be a disservice to female actors.

“There should simply be better parts for women and actors of color,” Craig tells the RadioTimes when asked about a female Bond. “Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?”

This comment echoes the sentiments of longtime James Bond film producer Barbara Broccoli who said in 2020, that “James Bond can be of any color, but he is male,” adding, “I believe we should be creating new characters for women — strong female characters… I’m not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that.”

In this regard, No Time to Die will have a female 00 agent who isn’t James Bond. Lashana Lynch is set to play another agent in the movie alongside Craig and you can see Lynch in several of the film’s trailers.

After multiple delays, No Time to Die will finally arrive in theaters in the US on October 8. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, No Time to Die will see several returning characters plus newcomers Lynch and a villain played by Rami Malek.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Netflix and Riot Games have revealed eight posters for the upcoming animated series Arcane. The posters feature some of the League of Legends heroes and Netflix separately revealed who will voice them.

So far the marketing materials for Arcane have focused heavily on Jinx. But the new posters have revealed some of the other cast members who will appear in the series. Check the gallery below for all eight characters posters revealed today.

As for voice talent, Netflix and Riot have enlisted some famous friends to help bring the Rift to life. Here’s who will voice who in Arcane.

• VI voiced by Hailee Steinfeld
• Jinx voiced by Ella Purnell
• Jayce voiced by Kevin Alejandro
• Caitlyn voiced by Katie Leung
• Silco voiced by Jason Spisak
• Mel voiced by Toks Olagundoye
• Vander voiced by JB Blanc
• Viktor voiced by Harry Lloyd

Arcane is set to focus on the world of Piltover and the “oppressed underground of Zaun.” Arcane was originally set to premiere in 2020 but was delayed until 2021 partly due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Funny enough Arcane isn’t Netflix’s first animated adaptation of a popular MOBA as the streamer debuted an animated series based on Dota earlier this year.

We’ll likely get a glimpse of Arcane this weekend at Netflix’s TUDUM event, a global digital event promising a ton of new trailers and reveals.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Netflix and Riot Games have revealed eight posters for the upcoming animated series Arcane. The posters feature some of the League of Legends heroes and Netflix separately revealed who will voice them.

So far the marketing materials for Arcane have focused heavily on Jinx. But the new posters have revealed some of the other cast members who will appear in the series. Check the gallery below for all eight characters posters revealed today.

As for voice talent, Netflix and Riot have enlisted some famous friends to help bring the Rift to life. Here’s who will voice who in Arcane.

• VI voiced by Hailee Steinfeld
• Jinx voiced by Ella Purnell
• Jayce voiced by Kevin Alejandro
• Caitlyn voiced by Katie Leung
• Silco voiced by Jason Spisak
• Mel voiced by Toks Olagundoye
• Vander voiced by JB Blanc
• Viktor voiced by Harry Lloyd

Arcane is set to focus on the world of Piltover and the “oppressed underground of Zaun.” Arcane was originally set to premiere in 2020 but was delayed until 2021 partly due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Funny enough Arcane isn’t Netflix’s first animated adaptation of a popular MOBA as the streamer debuted an animated series based on Dota earlier this year.

We’ll likely get a glimpse of Arcane this weekend at Netflix’s TUDUM event, a global digital event promising a ton of new trailers and reveals.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Alan Wake Remastered could also be heading to the Nintendo Switch after it was rated for the platform by a Brazillian agency.

As reported by the website switch-brasil.com and shared on Resetera, it appears that a Brazillian games agency has filed a rating for Alan Wake Remastered, Remedy’s update to its 2010 mystery-thriller.

International rating boards have leaked several, if not hundreds of games in the past, though you can still take this with a grain of salt. Alan Wake Remastered was previously announced for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Playstation 4, and Xbox Series X|S, so the inclusion of Switch in the Brazillian rating is new.

It’s unclear exactly whether this will be a full release on the Switch or a cloud version of the game. While porting studios have done wonders in the past to natively port games like Doom to the Switch, other major games like Resident Evil 7 were delivered to Switch players via a cloud streaming service.

On other systems, Alan Wake Remastered will offer options to run the game at 60fps and 4K for compatible platforms. The Remaster will also remove the real-life product placement ads in favor of fictional brands from the universe.

Other than that, it will be a true remaster of the original game. Though speaking with Axios, Remedy teased that fans will want to “definitely pay attention by playing the remaster,” for any tweaks that might connect Alan Wake to other Remedy games.

Epic and Remedy have also agreed to partner on a second, unannounced game that some are speculating is a sequel. But we’ll have to wait and see.

Check out IGN’s original Alan Wake review or see why we gave its spiritual successor Control our game of the year win in 2019.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Alan Wake Remastered could also be heading to the Nintendo Switch after it was rated for the platform by a Brazillian agency.

As reported by the website switch-brasil.com and shared on Resetera, it appears that a Brazillian games agency has filed a rating for Alan Wake Remastered, Remedy’s update to its 2010 mystery-thriller.

International rating boards have leaked several, if not hundreds of games in the past, though you can still take this with a grain of salt. Alan Wake Remastered was previously announced for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Playstation 4, and Xbox Series X|S, so the inclusion of Switch in the Brazillian rating is new.

It’s unclear exactly whether this will be a full release on the Switch or a cloud version of the game. While porting studios have done wonders in the past to natively port games like Doom to the Switch, other major games like Resident Evil 7 were delivered to Switch players via a cloud streaming service.

On other systems, Alan Wake Remastered will offer options to run the game at 60fps and 4K for compatible platforms. The Remaster will also remove the real-life product placement ads in favor of fictional brands from the universe.

Other than that, it will be a true remaster of the original game. Though speaking with Axios, Remedy teased that fans will want to “definitely pay attention by playing the remaster,” for any tweaks that might connect Alan Wake to other Remedy games.

Epic and Remedy have also agreed to partner on a second, unannounced game that some are speculating is a sequel. But we’ll have to wait and see.

Check out IGN’s original Alan Wake review or see why we gave its spiritual successor Control our game of the year win in 2019.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.