Stephen Chow (left) directs Kung Fu Hustle and will be directing the new Green Hornet (Sony)
According to VarietyAsiaOnline.com Hong Kong superstar and Kung Fu Hustle director Stephen Chow has just signed on to direct and co-star in Columbia Pictures' big screen adaptation of The Green Hornet . Originally created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker as a 1930s radio program, The Green Hornet also appeared as a film serial in the 1940s; as a network TV show in the 1960s; and as comic books from the 1940s to the 1990s. Bringing the story of Britt Reid -- newspaper publisher by day and masked vigilante by night -- to the big screen has been in the works since the 1990s. Kevin Smith was writing a script at one point, and George Clooney and Jake Gyllenhaal were both mentioned for Reid. At the moment, Knocked Up star Seth Rogen is on board to star as Reid and to co-write the script with SuperBad partner Evan Goldberg. Chow will also take on the role of Reid's sidekick Kato, a role originated on TV by Bruce Lee. This combo of talent makes me think the film with be more jokey than gritty and hard-edged, and I'm not yet convinced that Rogen is the right choice for REid or for writing the screenplay. But I think Chow is up to the task of directing and playing Kato. It will be interesting to see if this combination of talent holds since so many people have come and gone in the past. Green Hornet is scheduled to open on June 25, 2010.
