Picture this. It's January 2011. The concluding film in Christopher Nolan's DARK KNIGHT trilogy is still a year and a half away. The MCU remains in its infancy with both THOR and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER just on the horizon. People are still hopeful about the upcoming GREEN LANTERN film and nobody has any clue what the Snyder Cut is. Amidst the winter doldrums emerges director Michel Gondry's $120 million project THE GREEN HORNET. Based on classic radio and film serials and a series of comics, the superhero adventure stars Cameron Diaz, Seth Rogen and Jay Chou. Unfortunately, the film carries zero sting and is a commercial and critical flop.
Most people, myself included, surmised at the time that that was it for the adventures of Britt Reid and Kato on the big screen. However, this is Hollywood, superhero films rule the day, and movie studios are willing to resurrect and reboot any IP if they feel it will make money. Consequently, a reboot of THE GREEN HORNET is currently in development courtesy of Amasia Entertainment. Time to break out the fedoras and facemasks!
Amasia Entertainment has won exclusive motion picture rights to the crime fighting hero, with the aim of reviving the erstwhile character for the big screen. Amasia Entertainment falls under the banner of former Marvel Studios president Michael Helfant who as you might suspect, knows a thing or two about making superhero movies. The rights to Green Hornet have been passed around more often than an NBA basketball, making stops at Universal, Dimension, Columbia, and most recently Paramount. Up until last year a gritty and grounded take was being developed at Paramount with Gavin O'Connor set to helm the project. However, the rights lapsed in 2019 and here we are.
For those of you unfamiliar with the character, Green Hornet is the alter ego of Britt Reid, a newspaper publisher who sports a green mask and uses cool weapons to fight crime. Assisting Reid in his adventures is his sidekick Kato, a mechanic and valet who also happens to know martial arts. The duo battles the forces of evil in a souped up futuristic car called Black Beauty that rivals the Batmobile. In addition to appearing in the aforementioned film and on numerous radio and film serials, Green Hornet and Kato featured in a short lived 1960s ABC TV show starring Van Williams and Bruce Lee.
So what do you guys think of this news? Are you excited at the prospect of a new Green Hornet movie? Should Mike Moh take on the role of Kato? Would you prefer a dark and serious take or a more lighthearted affair like Seth Rogen's film? Sound off in the comments below!