George Clooney and Jason Scott Lee were going to do it in the 1990s. Kevin Smith was writing a screenplay for it five years ago, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Jet Li rumored to star. Now Seth Rogan is hoping to star in and get “The Green Hornet” on the big screen … if he can just get past the directorial and casting issues.
Grand-nephew of the Lone Ranger (give yourself 10 points if you knew who that was without going to Wikipedia), the Green Hornet was a masked crime fighter from the 1930s who appeared on radio and television and in comics. The series’ one redeeming cool factor – and the likely motivation behind why this project endures—is that Bruce Lee played Kato in the 1960s television series.
On the plus side, there probably won’t be a lot of “Green Hornet” fans for Rogan to upset when he goes comedy with it. (BTW, Kids today love heroes from their grandparents’ era! Just look at how well Will Eisner’s ‘The Spirit’ did at the box office when it was released last year.)
Rogan is writing the script with longtime friend and collaborator Evan Goldberg, and the action-comedy is set for a June 25, 2010 release. Hong Kong action star Stephen Chow was slated to both direct and star as Kato, but walked away from the project in December. Columbia recently announced director Michel Gondry will helm the film, and there’s “buzz” about Nicholas Cage and Cameron Diaz joining the cast. Since last weekend’s Comic-Con unveiling of Black Beauty – that would be the Green Hornet’s car – rumors are starting to swirl that Korean actor Kwon Sang-woo is up for the part of Kato.
