John Cho's Upcoming Netflix Series Cowboy Bebop Shuts Down Production After Actor Is Badly Injured
Production on Netflix’s upcoming series Cowboy Bebop has been halted after the show’s leading actor John Cho was injured on set.
Cho, 47, was filming a scene in New Zealand recently when he suffered a serious knee injury that required him to immediately fly back to Los Angeles and undergo surgery, according to Deadline.
Because Cho will also need extensive rehabilitation after his surgery, production on the series has been shut down for seven to nine months, the outlet reports.
In a statement to Deadline, a spokesperson for Netflix said, “Our thoughts are with John and he has our complete support as he recuperates from this injury.”
A spokesperson for Netflix did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
RELATED: 16 Actors Who Were Injured in Terrifying On-Set Accidents
On Friday, Cho seemingly addressed the injury on his Instagram, with a close-up photo of what appears to be a belt buckle.
“‘Water can flow or it can crash.’ – Bruce Lee,” he wrote before adding, “Thanks for all the well wishes everyone. Gonna be back and flowing in no time!”
Sources on the set told Deadline that Cho’s injury was quite surprising, calling it a “freak accident”, as the scene was well-rehearsed and the actor was filming the last take.
A new filming schedule is expected to be announced after the actor learns his exact prognosis, according to the outlet.
A post shared by John Cho (@johnthecho) on Oct 18, 2019 at 4:11pm PDT
RELATED: L.A.’s Finest Showrunner Loses Leg After Out of Control Stunt Car Crashes During Filming
Cowboy Bebop is a 10-episode live-action adaptation of the original anime series that also stars Mustafa Shakir, Daniella Pineda and Alex Hassell.
The story will follow a group of bounty hunters in space, led by Cho’s character, Spike Spiegel, as they chase down criminals.
Shakir is set to portray Siegel’s ex-cop partner Jet, while Hassell will play Spiegel’s nemesis Vicious and Pineda will play the role of Faye Valentine.
Netflix recently announced they had kicked off production on Oct. 8 with a behind-the-scenes video on YouTube that featured Cho and his castmates, shot entirely in “corgi-vision.”
