Michel Gondry (Be Kind, Rewind) is in negotiations to direct The Green Hornet, Columbia’s big-screen adaptation of the classic crime-fighting hero being portrayed by Seth Rogen.
Stephen Chow was set to direct but dropped out due to creative differences. He is still expected to co-star as Kato, the Hornet’s trusty sidekick and chauffeur.
Since Chow’s departure, the project has been the subject of speculation that it was sliding into development hell, but the studio is intent on making the feature one of its 2010 tentpoles.
The choice of Gondry, the autuer known for his off-beat films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep and the above-mentioned Rewind, signals that the creative direction the studio and the film’s producer, Neal Moritz, are trying to take the project is one not usually associated with the usual crime-fighter movie.
Hornet follows the adventures of Britt Reid, a bored playboy who inherits his father’s crusading newspaper, the Daily Sentinel. By night he is a masked hero, fighting crime with his sidekick Kato, who has incredible martial arts skills.
Rogen and his writing partner Evan Goldberg joined the project in July 20, 2007, as writers and co-exec producers.
Long ago Kevin Smith had written a script and had been asked to direct. A tale which he humorously recounts in his DVD An Evening With Kevin Smith.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
