Universal are reportedly working on a new Green Hornet movie. The studio has partnered with Amasia Entertainment for The Green Hornet And Kato, having optioned the rights to the heroes from Amasia after co-founders Michael Helfant and Bradley Gallo acquired control of the motion picture franchise rights in a competitive bidding war this past January.
The Green Hornet was one of early radio’s most popular adventure shows before becoming 1940s movie serials and eventually a 1966 TV series, the latter of which introduced Bruce Lee to a wider audience.
The story follows Britt Reid, owner/publisher of The Daily Sentinel, who teams with his trusty aide Kato to become The Green Hornet, a vigilante crime fighter wanted by the police and feared by the criminal underworld.
Of course, this isn’t the first attempt at a modern Green Hornet movie. Michel Gondry previously brought the hero to the big screen in 2011, with Seth Rogen as the title character and Jay Chou as Kato. The film grossed a respectable $227 million worldwide but was deemed a disappointment due to its high budget and middling reviews.
Nine years is an eternity in Hollywood, so Universal and Amasia now have the chance to reboot the IP and hope for a potential franchise. Universal president Peter Cramer said of the project:
“The Green Hornet is one of the most iconic and beloved superhero tales ever created, and it has entertained generations of fans in every form of storytelling. We are thrilled to be partnering with Michael, Bradley, and the entire Amasia team to launch an exciting new cinematic world for Britt Reid, Kato, and the Black Beauty, and we can’t wait to share it with global audiences soon”.
It will be interesting to see how the film performs. There’s certainly a bigger glut of superhero movies now than there was in 2011, so it’s possible that if Green Hornet didn’t perform well then , it might get lost in the shuffle now.
However, because there are more superhero movies now, audiences are more receptive to out-of-the-box heroes like Hornet and Kato, so it might also be the perfect time for the two vigilantes to make their way back to the big screen.
We’ll wait and see. Much may depend on the director and stars. Gondry/Rogen/Chou may not have been the recipe in 2011, but a different creative combination might fare better in a new decade.
Gallo added in his own statement: “The team at Universal completely understands the creative direction we want for The Green Hornet brand. Their sensibilities and relationships with writers, directors and actors are exceptional […] We also know that Universal will align with our ‘film geek’ sensibilities and offer up a vision which respects the iconic world of The Green Hornet“.
Gallo and Helfant previously produced the Halle Berry thriller The Call, as well as last year’s indie drama Them That Follow, which starred Olivia Colman and Kaitlyn Dever. Amasia’s next film is the romantic drama Wild Mountain Thyme, set to star Emily Blunt and Jon Hamm.
We will wait and see how The Green Hornet And Kato comes together over the next year, and who begins circling the lead roles.
#Peace.Love.TheGreenHornetAndKato
