Green Hornet, The

By: Corona's Coming Attractions
Date: Wednesday, June 09, 2004

Release Date: TBA
Studio: Columbia Pictures (Sony)
Director: Not Available
Screenwriter: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg 
Cast: Seth Rogen
Genre: Action, Adventure

Plot Summary: "The Green Hornet" made his debut on January 31, 1936 on WXYZ Detroit, the creation of the station's George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, who also created the Lone Ranger. The series, which ran until 1952 on the Mutual and NBC Blue networks, followed the adventures of Britt Reid, a bored playboy whose life is changed when he inherits his father's crusading newspaper, The Daily Sentinel. He saves the life of Kato, a Japanese man with incredible technical and martial-arts skills, who becomes Britt's closest ally -- and transforms Britt's car into the supercharged Black Beauty, which gives them an edge as they search for evidence to expose the city's underworld in the newspaper. When Britt and Kato witness a brutal mob hit, Britt invents his secret identity -- taking his name from his powerful car's defective horn. A skilled fighter and expert marksman, the Green Hornet uses two special, non-lethal guns to subdue criminals: one fires a potent knock-out gas while the other produces the "Hornet's Sting" -- an electric shock.

Comments:
When there's no more room in development heck, dead projects will walk the earth. After spending over $10 million developing it for naught, Universal Pictures finally let the rights go shortly after the turn of the millennium. Miramax then swooped in quickly, picking them up. Development began again at a glacial pace. Both screenwriters Rich Wilkes (XxX) and Christopher McQuarrie (THE USUAL SUSPECTS) had once turned in their drafts of a proposed HORNET movie. Both have now been jettisoned.

Scoop Feedback:

February 18, 2004... With his new movie JERSEY GIRL opening in about a month, Kevin Smith has received the call to make the big screen adventures of THE GREEN HORNET his next mission. Smith will write the script and direct the movie for Miramax Films as his next project, hoping to have the camera rolling by late summer. No stars are attached to the project so far but the CLERKS helmer thinks the idea of having George Clooney and Jet Li as the Hornet and Kato isn't such a bad idea.

This marks the second time that Smith has worked on a superhero project for Hollywood, with his last experience being the disappointing SUPERMAN screenplay he submitted to producer Jon Peters. "I always said I'd never do one, based on my limited experience writing on SUPERMAN and having to answer to the studio, the producer, the comics company and eventually a director," Smith explained to Variety. "Then there's a fandom that gets up in arms if you even try to stray from their character." Since the Hornet has been relatively low key in the public and the genre, Smith will have a freedom for exploration and his own vision that won't step on too many toes.

Adds the Jersey director: "I dig the fact that he kicked off a run of billionaire playboys who decided to put on a mask and fight crime, and that he was Batman before there was a Batman." [Variety.]

February 19, 2004... Over at Ground Zero for Kevin Smith fans, the JERSEY GIRL director told his fans in his own words what the latest inside news was on Smith's newly announced GREEN HORNET movie project.

Smith explained that he had climbed onboard Miramax's superhero project by chance when he eavesdropped on a phone conversation with Miramax executive Jon Gordon. From that Smith wrote an outline for his idea of a GREEN HORNET film, then handed in the work to Miramax honcho Harvey Weinstein who told Silent Bob "This is too good. I'm not letting you back out of this. It's time you grew up and pushed yourself by trying something different than all the talky flicks. You can do this. We'll surround you with an amazing support team. You're right to be scared but it's a good fear. It's the kinda fear that's gonna make you try harder."

Smith also answered a host of questiosn fans have been asking on his message forum ever since Variety broke the story yesterday. Here's some of those answers from the man himself:

WHAT'S THIS MEAN FOR "FLETCH WON" and "RANGER DANGER"?
Everything just gets pushed back a year. If it's any consolation, Harvey's insisting we go right into FLETCH after HORNET wraps.

HAVE WE STARTED CASTING "HORNET" YET?
Yes. Some offers went out to actors this week. I'm meeting with the guy we all want for Britt Reid Monday night. If actors start accepting offers, I'll let you know.

DO YOU WANT TO HIRE MASTER WOO-PING?
Christ, yes. We're working on this now.

WHAT CAR'S GONNA BE THE NEW BLACK BEAUTY?
Working on this too. There are a few manufacturers we're talking to already (for me, though, the dream car is the Cadillac 16).

IS THIS A SELL-OUT MOVE?
Me making a comic book movie? That's about the least selling-out move I could make, as far as I'm concerned. But that's just me.

ARE ANY V.A. REGULARS GONNA BE IN IT?
I'm writing a part for Mewes, I know that. Beyond that, expect to see some other familiar faces pop up as well.

HOW TRUE ARE YOU STAYING TO THE CHARACTERS AND BACKSTORY?
Very, very true. The story spans a few decades, though.

SO WILL YOU MENTION THE LONG RANGER CONNECTION THEN?
Can't. The Lone Ranger is owned by someone else. Legally, we can't refer to him without optioning that character as well.

HAVE YOU STARTED WRITING THE SCRIPT?
Yes. I'm fifty pages in.

ARE YOU GOING TO FINISH "SPIDEY/BLACK CAT" AND "TARGET" BEFORE YOU GET DEEPLY INTO "HORNET"?
As I posted the other day, yes. I'm so insanely remiss on those fronts. My bad.

WHAT'S THE BUDGET?
Too early to tell. But early guesses put it around seventy million.

IS THERE A RELEASE DATE SET?
Not a specific date, but we're due in theaters August '05.

WILL IT BE SERIOUS OR SPOOFY?
It's serious. Granted, there will be some humor in it, but we're still playing it straight on this one.

In other View Askew news, JERSEY GIRL is getting pushed up a week from its original release date. The film will now open on March 26 in 1,600 theaters, then add another 400 screens the following week (April 2) and finally up to 2,500 the week after that (April 9.)

[View Askew.]

June 8, 2004...
Both Dark Horizons and Empire Online are reporting that director Kevin Smith has gotten cold feet about helming THE GREEN HORNET movie he's attached to.

Smith told a crowd of fans in the United Kingdom yesterday that he fired off an email to Miramax head honcho Harvey Weinstein saying that he may have agreed too soon that he can direct an action film. Weinstein told him to finish off the screenplay first before making a decision, an idea that Smith agrees with.

"I will happily write it but I can't guarantee that I will end up directing this movie," Smith told the crowd of onlookers. "So that's where I'm at right now. I don't know if I have an action movie in me." [Empire Online, Dark Horizons.]