“The Green Hornet” Japanese Poster
The masked crime-fighting duo, known as The Green Hornet and Kato, are once again heading to the big screen in a new Green Hornet reboot that’s currently in development. Gavin O’Connor, the filmmaker behind the recent Ben Affleck actioner, The Accountant, is set to helm the project.
According to Deadline, O’Connor looks to wipe the slate clean with the hope that a storied, branded IP can get a do-over, as happened with Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight films and JJ Abrams’ Star Trek and Star Wars pictures.
The Green Hornet franchise – created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker – originated as a radio show in the 1930s that centered around a newspaper publisher and his Asian valet/martial arts expert. Secretly, the two battled crime as the feared Green Hornet and Kato.
When the heroes made their transition from radio to screen, The Green Hornet, aka Britt Reid, and Kato, were played by Warren Hull/Gordon Jones and Keye Luke in the 1940s; then by Britt Reid and Bruce Lee in 1960s; and finally, by Seth Rogen and Jay Chou in the 2011 film.
It’ll be interesting to see who they cast as the two main leads. Scarlett Johansson as Kato? And who knows, maybe O’Connor’s affiliation with Affleck means his Britt Reid has been found? The possibilities are endless – stay tuned!
Lee Byung-hun for Kato! His nationality’s been inconsistent, so the fact that Lee is Korean shouldn’t be a problem. I doubt Affleck would want to don another mask though. I wouldn’t mind Garrett Hedlund for Reid.
Considering KATO, at one point, was said to be Filipino, I wouldn’t think Korean would be a problem.