C’mon Hollywood #166

… make Green Hornet already!
by Sturdy

When Seth Rogen talked about the GREEN HORNET film that he and Evan Goldberg are working on, you could hear the enthusiasm and passion in his voice as he gave updates on the project. As we’ve seen from other directors and actors, passion is really the wildcard when it comes to making a film work. We know he has the talent and support to make a film like this and when you couple that with a passion, I think we’re going to be in for a treat.

I went through a Bruce Lee obsession about ten years ago and I watched every episode of the old Green Hornet TV show. I have to admit that I wasn’t impressed. Bruce Lee did some cool shit, but overall, it was a bad show. It was very cheesy and the dialogue was unbearable. My point is that there’s nothing sacred there. It’s not like we’re remaking CASABLANCA or trying to bring an important show from our childhood to the big screen. We’re talking about a bad 70’s TV show and giving it to one of the funniest comedians working today.

Bruce Lee was great, but the show wasn’t

Although I’ve never met any of them, I know there are people out there that want this film to be a drama. I can’t understand why, because I don’t see any way that the GREEN HORNET would work as a drama. It’s a guy wearing a green mask that relies heavily on his Asian sidekick. That’s comedy gold, my friends. It’s not slapstick material, but in the hands of Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, it could be brilliant. They seem to understand the balance between comedy and action and can do it with interesting, genuine characters that we can relate to. This is really all you can ask for in a comedy-action (comaction?) film. Yesterday we got word that looks like this is really going to happen, and I for one, am excited for it.

I think Jet Li could be funny.

I guess the next question is who should play Kato. Stephen Chow seems to be the fan favorite and maybe even has the edge in getting the role. I think he’d do fine, but I’ve always been partial to Jet Li. Jet says he wants to do different things and this could be his chance. He’s played some slightly comedic characters in his Asian films and I think he could transition very nicely into the role of Kato. He also seems to have this bubbly personality that would work well with Seth Rogen. And don’t even mention Jackie Chan. That would almost be enough for me to not see this movie.

This film is probably good practice for the GREEN HORNET

The next question is who should direct it. Why not Judd Apatow? Seriously. He has the rapport with Seth Rogen that will be necessary to do this kind of film. I think it needs someone that understands comedy and dialogue more than it needs someone that is an experienced action director. The other suggestion I have is Doug Liman, who impressed me with MR. AND MRS. SMITH. That had a good balance of action and comedy that would work well for Hornet, although I’m assuming Hornet would have more comedy than Smith.

Whoever they choose, I have the utmost confidence in Rogen and Goldberg to do this right. I just hope everything goes as planned. Seth is open after he finishes the upcoming Sandler/Apatow project and that’s the perfect time to swing into GREEN HORNET. So get the money, sign a director, hire the actors and let’s get this thing going!