Screen Rant » green hornet

‘The Treasure Hunter’ Featuring Kato from ‘Green Hornet’

Paul Young — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:37:58 +0000

There are few people that are aware of the growing movie market overseas. Thailand is emerging as a serious threat in the marital arts action genre with the help of Tony Jaa (Ong Bak); Russia is proving they can make a slick and entertaining film thanks to studios like Disney (Black Lightning); and, of course, Japan has always been the source for many Hollywood studios’ “inspired” horror remakes (The Ring, The Grudge). One foreign market that tends to be brushed off as only doing kung-fu or martial art films is China.

Today we have a trailer for a new Asian film which has the odd IMDB genre label of romance/sci-fi called Ci Ling (Treasure Hunter). Why are we at Screen Rant sharing this trailer with you? Because Treasure Hunter stars an actor most English-speaking audiences may not be familiar with yet, but will be next year: Jay Chou. Chou is also playing Kato opposite Seth Rogen in the upcoming re-imagining of The Green Hornet. We thought you might a first-look at how the actor does onscreen.

Here’s the synopsis for Treasure Hunter and the trailer after the jump:

In the northwest desert where countless prosperous dynasties have flourish and fall, there is rumor of a treasure of unbelievable riches buried among it. A group of mysterious guardians have been guarding the map to the location of the treasure until a fierce rivalry erupted. A notorious international crime group, The Company, hunted down the map keeper and before they managed to secure the map, the keeper passed the map to a young chivalrous man Ciao Fei (Jay Chou). Ciao Fei was forced to give up the map to save the life of his mentor’s daughter Lan Ting (Lin Chi Ling). Teaming up with Hua Ding Bang (a famous archaeologist) and Lan Ting they embark on a dangerous journey to recover the map and fight to protect the ancient treasure.

I like the look of Treasure Hunter and even though it will never open in American theaters – unless it’s remade by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser and Nicolas Cage in the renamed “National Treasure: Mummy Hunter”- I still look forward to watching it on DVD in a few months.

If the truth be known, a hefty portion of martial arts experts from China are fight choreographers for big Hollywood productions. Other films usually glazed over by American audiences, are the sweeping epics that China has produced in the recent years: Curse of the Golden Flower, House of Flying Daggers, and my personal favorite, Hero. I think it has something to do with American audiences’ disinterest in reading subtitles.

…And hose are just the films that make it into American theaters, thanks to the help and persuasion of people like Quentin Tarantino, who is a HUGE Asian cinema fan. There are plenty of bankable Asian actors that English audiences are familiar with: Jackie Chan (The Drunken Master), Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle), Jet Li (Black Mask), Chow Yun-Fat (Confucius), Maggie Cheung (Hero), Donnie Yen (Iron Monkey), and Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Odds are pretty good that you’ve seen at least one of each of those actors’ films and had to read the dialog in subtitles.

What do you think about Jay Chou, Treasure Hunter and Asian cinema, like it, hate it or open to it?

Treasure Hunter opens in Asian theaters December 31, 2009. The Green Hornet opens December 22, 2010.

Source: Twitch

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Seth Rogen Updates The Green Hornet

Rob Keyes — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:37:33 +0000

It’s been about a month since our last update on the upcoming Seth Rogen-starrer, The Green Hornet, so we’d thought we’d get you caught up with what’s been happening with the big screen adaptation.

We’ll talk about a very familiar but almost-forgotten actor joining the cast, Seth Rogen addressing all of the issues that have plagued the film’s production and an explosive issue on set… literally.

Check it out after the jump!

Starting in chronological order, at the end of September the crew of the film found an unidentified metal object in a nearby parking lot. Authorities were called in to destroy the object and it turns out it wasn’t a bomb at all. TMZ points out that we’re all hoping the movie isn’t either…

More recently and more importantly, last week Rogen spoke to press for the release of the NBC TV special, Monsters Vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space, and confirmed an interesting casting addition: Edward Furlong. Yeap, John Connor from Terminator 2 is making his comeback in The Green Hornet!

As to who he’ll be playing, Rogen said “That I can’t reveal.”

Ed’s lived a pretty troubled life with drugs & alcohol

In that same interview, Rogen also answered questions about the pressure of being the main man behind the project as the lead star and producer. It must be a big relief to finally be in full production with a locked cast?

“It is. An enormous one; constantly. But we still have to make it awesome. So the true relief isn’t there yet.”

If the movie doesn’t end up doing well, the blame will be placed on the star. How much pressure is Rogen feeling with all this responsibility?

“A lot. I will blame Gondry if it sucks though. No, I’m just joking. No we are all in it, you know. I take a huge amount of the pressure. I understand that. I understand that. I understand that it’s my face on it, you know, when it literally comes out even if, you know, even if it sucks for another reason, people will blame me and that’s why I have to be so involved to try to make sure that it doesn’t suck. But honestly a lot of your work is done before now. It’s hiring the right people and making sure all the elements are in place. And then, you know, trusting them to do what you hired them to do. But I’m there all the time so I can make sure everything is going well. There’s a lot of pressure. I understand that. I’ve been talking about this movie for years and if it sucks then no one will be more disappointed than me, believe me.”

While I wasn’t psyched about the project initially, I am now very interested to see what they brings with Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) as the villain and Furlong in some role.

The last thing Rogen addressed was his reasoning for the inclusion of Canadian rock band, Anvil, who will be featured in the background of a scene in the movie. Check it out and more at MovieWeb.

What do you think of Rogen’s Green Hornet and about Furlong joining the cast?

The Green Hornet is scheduled to open December 22, 2010.

Sources: MovieWeb, TMZ, Header edited from Alex Ross art

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First Look: The New A-Team & Green Hornet’s Costume [Updated]

Ross Miller — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:01:50 +0000

Today we have a couple of first looks for you lucky Screen Rant readers: a first look at the new A-Team, and also our first look at the costume Seth Rogen will be donning to play the masked superhero, The Green Hornet.

The A-Team

We recently gave you the first look at the new A-Team van on the Vancouver set of the upcoming movie adaptation of the classic ’80s TV series. And today – thanks to ComingSoon.net – we have our very first look at Liam Neeson (as Hannibal), Bradley Cooper (as Faceman), Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (as B.A. Baracus) and District 9’s Sharlto Copley (as Murdock). It’s not the greatest of photos (I think we’re a few months away from official, high quality shots) but it nonetheless serves as our first look at the new Team.

The photo was either taken during a scene in progress, or UFC fighter Quinton Jackson is trying to mentally prepare for a scene about to shoot (maybe he’s nervous about the daunting task of filling Mr. T’s shoes!). As for the look of the cast as a whole – nothing to get worried about in terms of them “ruining” one of the most well known TV shows of the last 26 years. There’s still time for them to drop the ball, I realize, but so far so good in my eyes.

Take a look:

Click image for full size version at ComingSoon.net

Along with Neeson, Cooper, Jackson and Copley, The A-Team is also set to star Jessica Biel as an Army General (and an ex-lover of Cooper’s Faceman) and Watchmen’s Patrick Wilson as some sort of CIA operative. It is being directed by Joe Carnahan (Smokin’ Aces, Narc) and is written by Michael Brandt, Derek Haas and Skip Woods.

The Green Hornet

Next and last up we have our first look at the costume Seth Rogen will be wearing as The Green Hornet. Sadly, we don’t get a look of Rogen actually donning the costume, but rather what is presumably his stuntman (I know Rogen has shed the pounds recently, but…). We’ve already seen what Kato will look like (also by way of a stuntman), but now you can take a look at the clothes our titular masked hero will be wearing:

As a bonus, here’s a video from the set of The Green Hornet from Splash (thanks to Cinemablend). Explosions and, “a bulldozer being dropped on a car,” is what you’ll see. Take a look:

GREEN HORNET SET VIDEO

UPDATE: Some set photos giving us our first look at Seth Rogen in costume as The Green Hornet have appeared online at Splash News. Check out one of the photos below:

For more shots of Rogen as The Green Hornet, head over to Splash News.

Along with Rogen as the titular hero and Jay Chou as his sidekick, Kato, The Green Hornet also stars Cameron Diaz, Edward James Olmos and possibly Inglourious Basterds baddie, Christoph Waltz (replacing the previously attached Nicolas Cage). The script was written by Rogen and his Superbad co-writer Evan Goldberg, and the film is being directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).

What do you think of our first looks at both the new A-Team cast and Seth Rogen in The Green Hornet’s costume? Do both of them look as you hoped?

Both The A-Team and The Green Hornet are currently filming, with The A-Team set to hit theaters on June 11th, 2010, and The Green Hornet (after being moved) is set for a December 17th, 2010 release.

Sources: ComingSoon, Splash, Cinemablend and Cinematical (for TGH still)

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Edward James Olmos talks ‘The Green Hornet’

Scott Miller — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:16:15 +0000

For those who don’t know, Olmos has signed on to play reporter Mike Axford in the upcoming The Green Hornet. We got these quotes from SuperHeroHype who got them from the LA Times who talked to Olmos directly and now were passing them on to you. But don’t tell Susie, she’ll blab to everyone:

“I’ll put it to you this way — it’s quite a fun journey… It’s my first time doing this kind of a movie. Blade Runner is the only thing that comes close to this. I’m having a lot of fun. People are really going to like what we’ve done. …”

Olmos also talked about his character, Mike Axford, who both works for newspaper publisher Britt Reid and wants to reveal the identity of The Green Hornet (he doesn’t know Britt Reid issssss Green Hornet!):

“We’re the backbone of the paper…Things go awry, and I end up having to try to sustain what’s going on in our lives. And of course the Green Hornet doesn’t make it any easier. I don’t want to give anything away.”

Olmos also addressed Seth Rogen’s impact on the film as Britt Reid/The Green Hornet:

“I think it’s going to be very exciting. People will find that it’s different than what they expect. Seth is doing a wonderful job. There’s a lot of everything. It’s going to be action-filled, and there’s a lot of humor in the situations. It’s really a well-crafted piece of work.”

For more quotes, check out SuperHeroHype or Los Angeles Times.

Michael Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) is directing The Green Hornet and given his track record, I’m looking forward to seeing his likely-to-be-unorthodox take on the superhero action genre. Not to mention Seth Rogen, who’s work in Knocked Up and Superbad didn’t scream “I’m ready to take on thugs by the dozens!” - although I really liked his easy-going, wisecracking charm in both those films.

Cameron Diaz has signed on as the love interest in the film (obviously) and if she’d be willing to revisit the allure she brought in There’s Something About Mary, I’d go see Green Hornet in the theater three times. Millions already adore Olmos for the understated gravitas he brought to the Syfy Channel’s Battlestar Galactica as Admiral William Adama.

The Green Hornet was originally a radio program in the 1930’s created by George Trendle and Fran Striker. The story has changed in various incarnations, but has mostly followed aforementioned daytime newspaper publisher and nightime bad-guy butt-kicker Britt Reid across film serials, a network television program and numerous comic book series in the decades since. The series has also featured Reid’s driver/sidekick Kato, to be played by four-time World Music Award Winner, Jay Chou, in the upcoming film.

Does hearing Edward James Olmos praise Green Lantern instill you with confidence, or are you still nervous about how this film will turn out?

The Green Hornet hits theaters December 17th, 2010.

Source: SuperHeroHype, Los Angeles Times

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Screen Rant on The Movie Blog Podcast

Vic Holtreman — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:44:28 +0000

Hey gang, yesterday John Campea of TheMovieBlog.com was kind enough to invite me to be a guest on his Movie Blog Podcast. John’s podcast is the longest-running movie podcast on the net (and the third oldest ongoing podcast, period).

Also on the podcast was TMB regular guest Christina Warren of Mashable.com and FlickCast.com. Here are the topics we covered:

Jennifer’s Body
Edward Norton claiming no cameo in Iron Man 2
X-Men: First Class casting
Nic Cage leaving Green Hornet, and the mess that movie seems to be in

We were going to cover a couple more items but we had so much fun just with those above that we ran out of time.

You can download it directly here or you can head over to The Movie Blog to listen to it (but do come back and tell us what you think!).

I’ll be doing another guest appearance on a well-known movie site’s podcast soon!

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Nicolas Cage Explains Green Hornet Decision

Rob Keyes — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:43:01 +0000

A press release came out last week which confirmed that Nicolas Cage was in negotiations to play the gangster villain for the upcoming Michael Gondry and Seth Rogen adaptation of Green Hornet.

Quick thereafter, news broke that Nic Cage had turned down the role and left the project to instead work as the lead in two other films. Production was just starting so some were worried about them finding a worthy replacement quick. They sure as hell did though in bringing in to-be-Oscar-nominated Inglourious Basterds star, Christoph Waltz.

As to why Cage turned down the role, we now have the reason…

While promoting his film, Bad Lieutenant, Port of Call: New Orleans at TIFF, Cage answered questions on the topic of Green Hornet explaining that his decision stemmed from creative differences (he’s not the first to leave for that reason, looking back on Stephen Chow who was set to direct and play Kato before).

Cage revealed that Rogen and Gondry had different ideas for the character than he did and he “wasn’t interested in just being just a straight-up bad guy who was killing people willy-nilly.”

Instead, Cage wanted a character whose motivations made sense and whose evilness is explained and apparently there wasn’t the time to develop that into the script – production began two weeks ago.

“‘The Green Hornet’ was something that I wanted to do, I think Michel Gondry is very talented and I had hoped it would work but I think Seth Rogen and Michel had a different take on the character,”

“I had to have some humanity and to try to give it something where you could understand why the character was the way he was but I don’t think there was enough time to develop it.”

I can’t blame the man for his reasoning – it does make sense wanting to play a character that makes sense. Although, looking back on Cage’s resume, it’s a little confusing/surprising.

It doesn’t really matter though anymore as he won’t be missed too much with Christopher Waltz replacing him. Waltz made big name for himself with his epic performance in the latest Tarantino flick and he represents a significant upgrade over Mr. Cage.

What do you think of Cage’s reasoning and would you had liked to see him as the bad guy? Is Waltz now typecasted as a villain?

Green Hornet hits theaters December 17, 2010.

Source: CANOE

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The Green Hornet vs. Christoph Waltz?

Ross Miller — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:04:10 +0000

Just five days after news came that Nicolas Cage had passed on the chance to play The Green Hornet villain comes the news that Inglourious Basterds baddie, Christoph Waltz, has reportedly been cast as Green Hornet’s foe.

Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood scored the exclusive news that Waltz has been cast as the villain, Chudnofsky, in Michel Gondry’s upcoming comic book adaptation, The Green Hornet. No other details have been released about the role, although in the past it has been described as a “gangster” who’s “scary,” and, “not where the comedy comes from.” Cage was circling the role for a little while before he passed on the opportunity, favoring lead roles in two different revenge flicks (that wasn’t the reason we were given, but it’s what we can summise).

If this Christoph Waltz news is true (and I’m guessing it is), it would come after one heck of a performance from Waltz as the methodical and cunning Col. Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino’s wonderful Inglourious Basterds. After spending several years acting on stage and as a prolific Austrian TV actor, Waltz’s Nazi detective role blew pretty much everyone who saw Inglourious Basterds away. He won the Best Actor award at the Cannes film festival earlier this year, and is a shoe-in for a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Oscars next year. If he doesn’t – and this may be a little early to call, as a lot of Oscar-bait movies have yet to be released – I’ll pull a Werner Herzog and eat my own shoe.

Just kidding… or am I?…

There’s been a lot of naesaying going on about Gondry’s comic book adaptation of Green Hornet, mainly because it’s Seth “Judd Apatow’s go-to-funny-guy” Rogen who’s playing the titular role. I’ve actually been in the camp that’s looking forward to the movie, mainly because it’s the über-talented Michael Gondry – the man who directed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – who’s at the helm. Even if I was extremely disappointed when Stephen Chow left the project (with Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou taking his place), the Gondry fan in me – as well as the diverse cast – has me extremely interested in seeing it.

I suspect that with Waltz’s potential casting a lot of the naesayers will change their opinion of the project, if only somewhat. Needless to say, Waltz is dynamite acting talent as well as one helluva villain, and so I have to say I couldn’t be more pleased if he ends up getting this role.

What’s your opinion on Christoph Waltz potentially playing The Green Hornet villain? Is he a good choice or do you have someone else better in mind? I dare you to name one…

The Green Hornet stars (as stated) Seth Rogen, and co-stars Cameron Diaz, Jay Chou, Tom Wilkinson, David Harbour, Edward James Olmos and (potentially) Christoph Waltz. It is currently filming (if you haven’t checked out the first set photos, do so here), and is now scheduled to be released on December 17th, 2010.

Source: Nikki Finke (DeadlineHollywood)

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Nic Cage Passes On Green Hornet Villain Role

Rob Keyes — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:06:31 +0000

In a press release last week for The Green Hornet, we learned that the cast had grown by two to include David Harbour and Tom Wilkinson. We also learned that principal photography had begun and that they were still in negotiations with actor Nicolas Cage to play the role of the primary villain described as a gangster.

Now, we’ve learned that Cage, who’s just signed for the lead roles in the revenge film Drive Angry and The Hungry Rabbit Jumps, will not be a part of the Green Hornet film adapation.

At least that helps alleviate what we thought was becoming an impossible film schedule for the Ghost Rider star.

According to the Heat Vision blog at The Hollywood Reporter, Cage and Columbia studios “were not able to come to terms on a deal.”

Money talks in Hollywood and Cage has found two leading roles to play with instead of a supporting role in Green Hornet. I would of thought the Rogen-starrer would have been a more popular movie for Cage.

With production on its way as of last week, the studio and director Michael Gondry will quickly need a replacement.

If you’ve not seen them, take a look at the first set photos from The Green Hornet revealing many of the main characters.

Would you have liked Cage to play the bag guy opposite Seth Rogen’s Green Hornet? Who should be the villain now?

The Green Hornet opens on its new release date, December 27, 2010 alongside Tron Legacy, The Smurfs movie and Yogi Bear.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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First Green Hornet Set Photos Reveal Kato & More!

Ross Miller — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:30:50 +0000

As Screen Rant reported earlier, The Green Hornet ’s release date has been delayed by five months, from next summer to a pre-Christmas date of December 17th. However, principal photography has begun right on schedule and with a cast firmly in place (after much speculation, particularly around who would replace Stephen Chow as Kato), The Green Hornet is finally and firmly on track.

For us, this means we’ll start seeing plenty of updates rolling out and today we have some of the first set photos from the production of The Green Hornet. Included in these is our very first look at Jay Chou as The Green Hornet’s sidekick, Kato. His outfit and mask aren’t a shocker by any means, but that’s a good thing – they’re keeping him the way he’s supposed to look. On top of that, we also get a look at Seth Rogen in action as the titular character, as well as Cameron Diaz (who’s playing Lenore Case – some sort of reporter) and even Chou’s stunt double in costume as Kato.

Thanks to Splash News, SuperHero Hype and Just Jared, take a look at a selection of the photos below (click any for larger size):

Jay Chou as Kato

Jay Chou with Cameron Diaz

Seth Rogen as Britt Reid a.k.a. The Green Hornet

Jay Chou's Kato stunt double

For the rest of the set photos you can head over to SuperHero Hype, Just Jared and Splash News.

Since production has already started on The Green Hornet, more than 15 months away from the release date that’s been set for the movie, I’m going to guess it’ll be a longer-than-usual shoot, and then onto a heck of a lot of post-production work. Michael Gondry has described in the past some pretty wild ideas for ways to do some of The Green Hornet’s fight sequences, for example, talking about such things as the camera moving at different speeds for the different characters - “…one will go fast and the other will go slow, and then they’ll meet… It’s as if they’re in different dimensions, but when they touch they each other they come into the same dimension…”

Whoah, okay…

I know there’s a lot of doubt and skepticism from fans about this particular incarnation of The Green Hornet. The way it’s being described by Rogen, Gondry and Co. is as an action/comedy – that, plus the fact that it has Rogen (for some reason people are hating on him – I quite like him) toplining a strange and diverse cast, means that most people aren’t exactly 100% confident about the project.

However, I personally remain optimistic about the whole thing. Even if the cast is a little strange (Nicolas Cage as the film’s gangster villain – I can’t wait to check that out!), the names alone are impressive, and at least from these pics they’ve got the look of the characters (at least Kato, anyway) right. But most of all, it’s the inclusion of Gondry as the director which has me most anticipating the project: He directed what I believe to be one of the best movies of the last 10 years, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and overall is one of modern day filmmaking’s most creative minds IMO.

Color me interested.

What do you think of the first batch of Green Hornet set pics? Do they make you look forward to the film any more/less than you already were?

The Green Hornet is now scheduled to be released on December 17th, 2010.

Sources: SplashNews, SuperHeroHype and JustJared

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Green Hornet & Tron Legacy Fight For Release Date

Rob Keyes — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:09:08 +0000

For those of you following the troubled development of Seth Rogen’s upcoming adaption of The Green Hornet, the movie was officially delayed five months from its original summer, 2010 scheduled release to December 17th. According to to the star of the movie, this was a very positive thing as it allowed for more time to finish post production and not rush the film.

Fortunately for moviegoers, the movie is now on the right track and has entered into production as of yesterday. Most of the film’s cast is now locked down with Tom Wilkinson and David Harbour representing the latest additions and we received official confirmations for Cameron Diaz and Edward James Olmos having roles in the film.

Everything was looking on the up and up… until now. Disney’s moving in to fight for that same release date for their 3D movie, Tron Legacy. But that’s not all, there’s two other films scheduled for that holiday weekend as well…

For The Green Hornet, there’s still one more actor who’s in negotiations – Nicolas Cage, who will reportedly be playing the gangster villain of the film, giving the cast several bankable actors and starpower.

What’s interesting about The Green Hornet’s new release date is that Disney is seemingly moving up the Tron sequel to compete for this spot. The last we heard about the schedule for the Tron Legacy was at their San Diego Comic-Con panel where it was still thought to open sometime in 2011.

Both films are big budget projects that will pump out heavy marketing for themselves so something’s got to give or else they’ll split the holiday crowds.

That’s not all though – Also opening that weekend, the same weekend James Cameron’s Avatar opens this year, are The Smurfs and Yogi Bear, both of which are in 3D. That means the two family movies will have to share the limited amount of 3D-capable screens with Tron Legacy.

At least those two movies are targeted towards different demographics, but wow, that weekend sure will be busy…

Don’t be surprised of Tron Legacy shifts back to 2011.

Can that weekend support the opening of these four films or do you think one of them will move out?

As it stands, The Green Hornet, Tron Legacy, The Smurfs & Yogi Bear all open December 17, 2010.

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Green Hornet Production Start & Casting Additions

Rob Keyes — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:25:05 +0000

Over the weekend, news broke that the upcoming adaptation of The Green Hornet was being pushed back to allow for more post-production time. The five-month delay, which moves the film from its original Summer release to a holiday opening a week before Christmas, sure isn’t slowing down production of the film.

In recent weeks, we’ve heard about several casting decisions for the Seth Rogen-starrer including that of Cameron Diaz, Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica) and Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou taking over the role as Green Hornet’s side-kick, Kato. More recently, there’s been two more additions to the growing cast of talented and recognizable stars: Tom Wilkinson and David Harbour.

The official press release is as follows:

CULVER CITY, Calif., September 2, 2009 – A classic character of film, television, radio and comic books returns to the big screen in Columbia Pictures’ feature film The Green Hornet, starring Seth Rogen (Superbad, Knocked Up) as the vigilante crime-fighter. Production is underway on the Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) helmed film, which is produced by Neal H. Moritz (I Am Legend, The Fast and the Furious) and executive produced by Michael Grillo (The Accidental Tourist), Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg (Superbad, Pineapple Express), Ori Marmur (Evan Almighty) and George W. Trendle, Jr. The screenplay is by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg, based upon “The Green Hornet” radio series created by George W. Trendle and shoots entirely in Los Angeles. The film is set for release December 17, 2010.

In addition to Rogen, the film also stars Taiwanese actor-pop star Jay Chou as Kato, Cameron Diaz (Charlie’s Angels, What Happens in Vegas), Edward James Olmos (“Battlestar Galactica”), David Harbour (Revolutionary Road) and Tom Wilkinson (Valkyrie). Nicolas Cage is also in negotiations to appear in the film.

Academy Award®-nominee John Schwartzman (Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian) is the director of photography. Production designer is Owen Paterson (The Matrix Revolutions), Kym Barrett (Speed Racer) serves as costume designer and Michael Tronick (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) is editing.

The announcement confirms Olmos’ and Diaz’s involvement with the film as well as Cage’s likely casting. As for David Harbour (who had a role in this year’s State of Play where he played the insider of PointCorp) and the talented Tom Wilkinson, we do not yet know what roles they will have in the movie.

It looks to me now the movie is able to sell itself on the cast alone – something that will ease the film over skepticism and allow it to pull in a large holiday audience regardless. I just hope the movie is good.

The good news is that the film (now directed by Michel Gondry), troubled with casting issues, a director change and now the delay, finally has begun production as of yesterday, September 2nd.

What do you think of the casting choices?

Green Hornet opens at its newly-scheduled date of December 17, 2010.

Sources: Latino Review

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The Green Hornet Delayed By 5 Months

Ross Miller — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:58:00 +0000

A rather surprising piece of news has surfaced about the upcoming Seth Rogen comic book movie, The Green Hornet – It has been pushed back a whopping 5 months, from its previous July 7th summer release date next year to December 17th. There’s been no official reason given for the move, but its star Rogen has responded himself to the news.

It has certainly been a rocky road for The Green Hornet, with one notable obstacle being Stephen Chow sadly dropping out, first as director, then as an actor in the role of the titular character’s sidekick, Kato. But with an extremely talented director coming on board in the form of Michel Gondry, and recently Nicolas Cage, Cameron Diaz and Jay Chou being cast (Edward James Olmos has also been rumored), it looked like things were firmly on the road for the release next summer.

However, as HitFix notes, principle photography hasn’t even started yet, and I don’t think with a project like The Green Hornet that anyone involved wants it to be rushed. Also, the highly anticipated (arguably even more than this movie) Predators would have made for heavy competition as it’s also scheduled to open on July 7th next year. On top of that, a December release sets The Green Hornet apart from all the other summer movies that it will compete with. The more I think about it, the more the move makes a lot of sense.

HitFix managed to get in contact with Rogen, who has given his rather positive thoughts on the date move of The Green Hornet:

“We’re both [me and Michel Gondry are] relieved and psyched about the change. It gives more time for post [-production], which would have been immensely rushed if we were to come out in the summer. It also affords us more time to promote the film, (now we can go to Comic-Con with more than a car!) and ultimately is a great vote of confidence from the studio.”

What Rogen has responded to the news with makes total sense to me, and is in line with why I think the studio has went ahead with the move. With the troubled road that The Green Hornet has had up until this point, we don’t want a rushed production to derail it now that it’s finally on-track. Five months does seem like a bit of a long time, but I’m still fine with it. July is still 11 months away, so a delay from that isn’t that big of a deal when we’re this far away. It’s not a Harry Potter case where the original release date was only a few months away and THEN they suddenly decided to move it to the following year. Excitement and anticipation for The Green Hornet hasn’t really started to properly gear up yet.

Will a comic book movie like The Green Hornet do better with a pre-Christmas holiday release than it would have smack in the middle of summer? I’m not so sure. But I also don’t think that there will be THAT much of a difference at the box office – if the interest from the general movie going public is there for this rather strange sounding comic book movie, it will still be there in December as it was during the summer.

Am I disappointed that we won’t get to see the movie next summer as was planned? Sure, a little bit, but it’s not a project I’ve got on my top 5 most anticipated at the moment. And since the move makes a lot of sense to me, I’m not all that irked by it. You may feel different, I’m sure.

What do you think about The Green Hornet being delayed for a whole five months? Do you think it makes sense or should they have just kept the original summer release date?

As stated, The Green Hornet has now been moved from July 7th, 2010, to December 17th later that same year.

Sources: BoxOfficeMojo, HitFix and Coming Soon

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Cameron Diaz Confirms Green Hornet Role

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:26:23 +0000

MTV Splash Page recently caught up with actress Cameron Diaz and had a chance to probe her (figuratively speaking) about her rumored role in The Green Hornet.

So is the lovely lady in or out of Green Hornet? (Hint: read the title of this post).

Said Diaz: “I’m in…I am making Michel Gondry’s movie…I am very, very excited about it.”

Awesome!

Diaz will be playing the character of Lenore Case; In the original Green Hornet series, “Casey” was the secretary of the Hornet’s alter-ego Britt Reid and was fully aware of her boss’s moonlight stints as a crime fighter. In this updated take, Casey will reportedly be an amateur gumshoe with a penchant for CSI-style TV, who will be unaware of the Reid/Hornet connection. Expect romantic interest to ensue.

For those keeping track, The Green Hornet cast has ballooned to include Seth Rogen in the titular role, Nicolas Cage as his “scary” gangster nemesis, the recently announced Jay Chou – who will replace Stephen Chow – as Green Hornet’s sidekick, Kato and supossedly Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica) in a yet unconfirmed role. The film is being helmed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and will mix action, comedy, and allegedly some awesome stylized fight scenes.

Hearing Cameron Diaz brought on board just about any movie is good news to my ears (and eyes!). We already have mucho proof that the actress can do sexy, funny and kick-ass all at once (see: Charlie’s Angels), so it seems like she’d be like a perfect fit to mix it up with Rogen and the boys.

The Green Hornet is currently in pre-production and is slated for a July 9, 2010 release.

Source: MTV Splash Page

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Edward James Olmos Joins The Green Hornet Cast?

Ross Miller — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:08:49 +0000

Hollywood Snitch is reporting that Edward James Olmos has joined the cast of the upcoming comic book film, The Green Hornet. If this news is true, he joins the already-announced Seth Rogen (playing the titled character), Jay Chou (playing Kato, replacing Stephen Chow), Nicolas Cage (playing the film’s villain) and Cameron Diaz (playing some sort of reporter/love interest). The film is being directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), and written by Rogen and his Superbad co-writer, Evan Goldberg.

Olmos’ Green Hornet role is currently labeled as unspecified, with only a short quote from the Battlestar Galactica star himself at Wizard World Chicago Comic-Con. Check out the quote:

“I’m on my way to do ‘The Green Hornet,’… It’ll be a lot of fun with Seth [Rogen], Nicolas Cage and Cameron Diaz.”

Basically this just tells us he’s got some sort of part, but it could be anything from a cameo to a major supporting part. My guess is it’ll be somewhere in-between those two extremes. I would have said he’s the villain (to me he just has that look), but it was already revealed a little while ago that Cage will be fulfilling that duty.

A couple of side characters from the original Green Hornet series are, “a bombastic former policeman,” and an, “irascible city editor of The Daily Sentinel.” Could Olmos be one of those two? Who knows. This situation kind of echoes the one with Cage as the villain – we don’t really know much about him other than he’s some sort of gangster who’s not over-the-top and is scary. Why all the secrecy, guys?!

More news on Olmos’ involvement as it gets released. For now: what do you think of this potential piece of casting?

The Green Hornet is scheduled to hit theaters on July 9th, 2010.

Sources: Hollywood Snitch via /Film

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Singer Jay Chou is Green Hornet’s New Kato

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:49:37 +0000

Channel News Asia is reporting that Taiwanese singer Jay Chou has been snagged by Columbia Pictures to replace actor Stephen Chow as The Green Hornet’s sidekick, Kato, in the upcoming big-screen adaptation starring Nicolas Cage and Seth Rogen as the titular Green Hornet.

It’s reported that on Monday, Chou’s close friend, actor Tin Kai Man, blogged that Columbia had picked his friend Chou for the role because he was both a famous star and a fan of the late Bruce Lee. When reporters jumped all over him, Man insisted that “I have my source.”

Chou is currently at work finishing a film he is directing called Pandamen (I can only hope it’s really about Panda Men! ). After that, according to Man, the singer will make tracks for America to get down to Green Hornet business.

UPDATE: Sony Pictures has just made it official! Chou IS Kato!

Said Chou about getting the role:

“It’s an overwhelming experience to take on a role made famous by Bruce Lee. I will try to bring my own interpretation to the part. It’s a dream role.”

Equally thrilled is Green Hornet director Michel Gondry:

“Jay is incredibly unique and charming and fights like a wild dog…When I filmed him next to Seth, they had such great chemistry.”

Well, it was only a week or so ago that we reported that Korean actor Kwon Sang-woo was also up to play Kato. Guess we can write that one off as a rumor.

The Green Hornet is slated for a July 9, 2010 release.

Source: Channel News Asia

Update Source: The Wrap

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Comic Book Movie Casting Rumors: Kato & Black Panther

Ross Miller — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:58:42 +0000

[UPDATE: Check Out Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje talking to MTV about Black Panther!]

Today we take the rumor ride once again, this time pertaining to comic book movies and characters. It is being rumored (from two different sources) that Korean actor Kwon Sang-woo is in the running to replace Stephen Chow as The Green Hornet’s Kato, and Lost’s Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (aka Mr. Eko) is in talks to bring The Black Panther to life.

THE GREEN HORNET

Nate (via HanCinema and Twitchfilm) is reporting that Kwon Sang-woo is in the running to portray Kato in the upcoming Seth Rogen/Michel Gondry comic book movie, The Green Hornet. This comes after Stephen Chow walked away from the project first as director, then as Kato. Kwon is a former model who went on to star in such films as Volcano High, My Tutor Friend and Once Upon A Time In High School. He is considered, because of his looks and physique, as part of the “mom-zzang” or “great body” movement.

He was described in relation to the role of Kato to have received “a love call” for the film, and although his English isn’t 100%, the audition with Rogen was “successful.” If he were to get this role, it certainly would gain him exposure, and possible success, in Hollywood that he’s only had in South Korea thus far. He’s at least partly suited to the role of Kato, since he has experience doing action.

Can someone remind me why, exactly, the casting call for Kato mentioned that the actor doesn’t need to have martial arts experience?…

THE BLACK PANTHER

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (or “Triple A” as he’s been often nicknamed) spoke to MTV at Comic-Con where he said that he’s talking to Marvel about bringing the Marvel character, Black Panther, to the big screen. Here is what he said about the character and a potential movie about him:

“We’re talking to Marvel about ‘Black Panther… This is the first round, so you know, hopefully they’ll look at ‘G.I. Joe’ and see the potential. But it’s about time we have a black superhero, isn’t it?”

“He’s from a fictional village in Africa and the timing is so right for that kind of character to come through… And while I’m in my prime, this is the time. We’ve got [U.S. President Barack] Obama, now we need something on screen to represent, so… ‘Panther,’ man.”

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Black Panther is one of the lesser-known characters from the Marvel universe (at least compared to the likes of Spider-Man and The Hulk), and one of the first modern black superheroes. His abilities include the likes of superhuman acute senses and genius intellect. I personally think Triple A is a good fit to play the character – he certainly has the physical build and he’s a really good actor to boot.

Getting a talented actor to play our comic book heroes is never a bad thing, right?…

Here’s what Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje had to say to MTV News about the potential role:

For now, take these two rumors as exactly that... rumors. There's nothing particularly "off" about either of them, but there's not enough information there to count either as for definite just yet.

Stay tuned to Screen Rant for confirmations or disputes.

For the sake of discussion, what would you think about Kwon Sang-woo playing Kato and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje playing Black Panther? Are they the right actors to play the respective roles?

The Green Hornet is scheduled to be released on July 9th, 2010, while Black Panther is just in the idea stage.

Sources: HanCinema, MTV Splash Page, Nate and Twitch

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Seth Rogen Explains The Green Hornet Villain

Ross Miller — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:19:32 +0000

Yesterday we reported on the news that Nicolas Cage is in early talks to star in the upcoming comic-book movie, The Green Hornet. But beyond that, we didn’t get any details on just what villain might be apart from the fact that he’s some sort of gangster-type character. However, today we get word from lead actor Seth Rogen, who describes just what The Green Hornet villain is all about.

Rogen spoke to MTV about the role Cage will be playing, explaining the reasoning behind having a newly-created villain instead of bringing back one that’s already been established in The Green Hornet universe. Here’s what the actor had to say:

“There was no classic villain, so we had to create a villain… [he's] not over-the-top. We wanted him to be very scary… We don’t feel that that’s where the comedy in the movie should come from, necessarily.”

Rogen also talked to MTV about the current status of The Green Hornet and described the film as being in, “heavy pre-production.” He says that they’re currently, “writing and building sets,” as well as, “coordinating the stunts and fights and chases…It’s crazy,” he added.

I guess Rogen’s explanation suggests what type of performance we can expect from Cage as The Green Hornet’s foe (if he gets the gig, that is) – the character sounds like the perfect showcase for the version of Cage we’ve seen in films like Wild at Heart, Face/Off and Kiss of Death. I can put to rest some of the worries I had when this casting news first emerged yesterday.

However, on the whole I’m still quite worried about The Green Hornet as the cons still far outweigh the pros, the biggest point of issue being the now-lack of Stephen Chow. But nonetheless the project isn’t a total disaster in my eyes – at least we have the creative mind of Michel Gondry at the helm.

Now we just need to know who’s going to replace Chow as Kato…

What do you think about Nic Cage’s ’scary villain’ role in The Green Hornet?

The Green Hornet is scheduled to hit theatres on July 9th, 2010.

Sources: MTV Splash Page via ThePlaylist

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Nicolas Cage vs. The Green Hornet?

Ross Miller — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:13:30 +0000

A surprising piece of news has just recently popped up online: Nicolas Cage is reportedly in early talks to play the villain in the upcoming adaptation of The Green Hornet. He joins the previously rumored Cameron Diaz, who’s potential role in the film has been revealed as a “reporter and love interest” for the titular masked hero.

Variety is reporting that Cage is in early talks to be what is being described as the “gangster villain,” nemesis of our hero, The Green Hornet. There’s no more details on his character other than that I’m afraid, but if the talks get closer to a closed deal, you can be sure that more details will emerge.

This news comes to us not long after Stephen Chow sadly dropped out of the project as The Green Hornet’s sidekick, Kato. With Seth Rogen co-writing the film with his Superbad writing pal Evan Goldberg, and quirky, off-beat director Michel Gondry, at the helm, it seems like we’re going to get a very strange unique version of The Green Hornet, indeed. Most people were hoping for a straight-up bad-ass version of the character, but considering the team behind, it’s looking like action plus comedy will be what we get.

It’s not a surprise that Columbia Pictures is going after big names to star in The Green Hornet, simply because to the wider, more general movie going audience (read: outside of the geek circles) the character is not that well known. Diaz makes sense if they’re going to go the action-comedy route with a love interest in the mix (she’ll probably turn the “cutesy” dial up to eleven), but does Cage make sense at all?

I actually don’t think Cage is a terrible actor, just one that makes some horrendous role choices (The Wicker Man, anyone?). But those of you who have seen Wild At Heart, Leaving Las Vegas and Adaptation know he can act when he picks the right role.

Nicolas Cage was brilliant as Charlie Kaufman in 'Adaptation'

However, I’m not sure The Green Hornet villain will be the right role for him. Something about the potential casting just feels… wrong. I must fold and say I’m really getting worried about this project now (I know a lot of you are already ahead of me on that one) – the director is about the only thing that has kept me clinging onto hopes that it will be awesome. The lack of Chow as Kato, the “insert well known, attractive actress here” possible casting of Diaz, and a “WTF” possible casting of Cage has me in skeptical mode for now.

As for Seth Rogen as the titular Green Hornet, I just don’t know if it’ll work. The actor himself just recently tried to put all our worries to rest by saying the project is “alive and well.” He was pretty convincing, but taking a step back and looking at all the details surrounding this project, it’s not looking as promising as I’d hoped it would by this point.

What do you think of Nicolas Cage possibly being cast as the villain in The Green Hornet? Do you think there’s hope for this project or do the cons far outweigh the pros?

The Green Hornet is scheduled to be released on July 9th, 2010.

Source: Variety

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Seth Rogen Talks Green Hornet & ‘Paul’

Ross Miller — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:49:28 +0000

One of the comedy men-of-the-minute, Seth Rogen, is starring in two upcoming movies, both within the “realm of the geek.” One is the much-talked-about adaptation of The Green Hornet, the other is the lesser-known Paul, a new comedy from Simon Pegg and Nick Frost about an alien that’s escaped from Area 51. Recently Rogen has talked about both projects to bring us eager fans up-to-date with what’s going on.

The Green Hornet

As anyone who’s been keeping up on The Green Hornet news knows that Stephen Chow recently left the project. His departure was confirmed after a casting call for Kato, the role he was supposed to be playing, was released by the studio.

Chow’s departure was much to the dismay of people (myself included) who thought the actor was perfectly suited for Green Hornet’s action-comedy mix (see Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle as proof). Here’s what Rogen had to say about the situation:

“In my head, we lost Stephen Chow in April, so it’s something I’ve had a lot of time to wrap my head around.”

Rogen talks about how they’re looking for actors from all over the world to play The Green Hornet’s sidekick, Kato, from well known international stars to complete unknowns. He says they’re open to adapting the role for the actor, and are willing to cast actors who don’t have martial arts experience (as the previously released casting call stated).

Am I the only one who now wishes even more that Chow was still on-board?…

However, even if Chow is now officially off of The Green Hornet, Rogen is adamant and pretty damn convincing that the project is still very much alive and well. Here’s some of what he had to say:

“There’s more people working on the film every day! They traditionally don’t spend millions and millions of dollars on movies that are dead… It’s really hard to make a big movie. It’s exponentially more difficult to make a $100 million movie than it is to make a $20 million movie, especially in this economy… I think just for us to make a movie that we feel confident in and for [Sony] to have a movie that they feel confident in, that’s taking a long time.”

With regards to Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) taking the directorial reigns (a role Chow was once attached to as well), Rogen has great things to say about him and his involvement:

“We’re encouraging him [Gondry] to make it as visually exciting and inventive as anything anyone has ever seen. We’re fans of these types of movies when they’re done well. We think that we can handle the story and the script and the dialogue, but we know nothing about cameras and lights and fancy ways of making things look amazing. And that’s what he’s better at than anyone in the world pretty much. So we’re encouraging him to really go for it.”

For more on what Rogen had to say about The Green Hornet, you can head over to HitFix and AICN.

Paul

In comparison to The Green Hornet, the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost written, Greg Mottola directed alien comedy, Paul, may not seem all that significant. But with a cast of Pegg and Frost plus Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Jane Lynch, and (possibly) Sigourney Weaver, added to an awesome comedic premise, I am very much looking forward to it.

Adding to that killer cast is Rogen, who’s voicing the titular alien, Paul. Up until now, the nature of how Paul will look (and sound) has been pretty secretive, but while promoting his upcoming Adam Sandler comedy, Funny People, Rogen let some details slip:

“I am [doing the voice of Paul]. And the motion capture of Paul as well… As of right now it’s [the voice is] pretty similar to my voice. I don’t know, they could change their mind, but right now it kind of sounds like exactly what you are hearing right now.”

I don’t think it’s much of a surprise that Rogen’s voice as Paul will probably end up pretty similar to his natural voice. His voice is instantly and naturally humorous (it makes the sound of him laughing funny in and of itself); it’s already been put to good use such animated films as Kung Fu Panda and Monsters vs. Aliens.

However, even if Rogen’s voice is funny, I would rather have him do something a bit different with it for Paul. After all, this is a film by the guys behind Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, so I hope for something more original than just having Rogen play the voice of Seth Rogen.

What do you think about what Seth Rogen has said about The Green Hornet and Paul? Are you looking forward to both of these projects?

The Green Hornet is scheduled for a July 9th, 2010 release, and Paul is slated for a release sometime in 2010.

Sources: FirstShowing, HitFix, AICN, Cinematical and Collider

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[Update] Stephen Chow Out Of The Green Hornet

Ross Miller — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:30:57 +0000

[UPDATE: Stephen Chow is now officially out of The Green Hornet. Bottom of the post for details.]

With Seth Rogen on-board to star, and Michel Gondry attached to direct, the only definite role (beyond an unnamed female role that Cameron Diaz is rumored for) that’s still to be filled in The Green Hornet is of his sidekick, Kato. Played in the original TV series by legendary martial artist, Bruce Lee, it had been assumed up until now that Kung Fu Hustle star Stephen Chow was going to be that guy.

This assumption was made because he was once attached to both star as Kato and direct the film – but before long it was announced that he walked away from the behind the camera role, resulting in Gondry coming on-board for directing duties. However, there was nothing to definitely indicate that Chow would not still be playing the sidekick in The Green Hornet.

However, with a recently released casting call for the role of Kato (courtesy of SpoilerTV), Chow’s involvement looks like it may be dubious:

“[KATO] ALL ASIAN ETHNICITIES, Male, 20’s – early 40’s. Brit Reid’s manservant/chauffeur by day and Green Hornet’s martial arts-skilled sidekick by night sptv050769. Actor doesn’t have to have Martial Arts experience.”

Out with the debate over just why the casting call is so vague and unspecific – the huge age gap, the indifference to whether the actor needs martial arts experience for a role that involves martial arts – the general question arises of why would they even put out a casting call if Chow was going to be playing Kato?

Stephen Chow in 'Kung Fu Hustle'

With the direction they seem to be going with for The Green Hornet movie – that is, action mixed with comedy – I would say that Chow is the perfect candidate to portray Kato. He has martial arts experience (again, I really don’t know why the casting call doesn’t call for this specifically), he can do the action-comedy thing (just look at Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle), he’s got great charisma for what I imagine this modern take on the character is going to call for, and I also think he and Rogen would be a good fit. I really hope this casting call is just a precaution, and Chow eventually does play the role of Kato.

UPDATE: Well, no such luck. Stephen Chow is now OFFICIALLY off of The Green Hornet due to scheduling conflicts.

Here’s what Columbia Pictures had to say about Chow’s departure from the film:

There was a mutual and amicable decision by both sides to move on…We are out now to cast a new Kato and remain fully committed to Michel Gondry’s exciting vision for the film, which will begin production this September.”

Since Chow is no longer in the role, who else would you like to see play Green Hornet’s sidekick?

The Green Hornet is slated for a release on July 9th, 2010.

Sources: SpoilerTV via /Film

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