"The Green Hornet" Trailer Drops! Explosions! Seth Rogen and Jay Chou Wear Masks!
It’s finally here: The first proper trailer of The Green Hornet, Michel Gondry‘s upcoming 2011 film version of the superhero radio, comic, and television property, has finally exploded onto the interwebs! And boy, are there a lot of explosions.
You may recall the long and arduous journey the film has undergone since its inception. Of course, we all had our reservations as lovable bear Seth Rogen pushed the project forward with him in the lead role of Britt Reid, newspaper publisher by day, vigilante crimefighter by night. Originally, though, the film was also to be directed by Hong Kong fan favorite Stephen Chow; he would also star as Kato, originally played by the one and only Bruce Lee. I had hopes. And then Chow announced he would be exiting the project, and I was sad again.
But then better news: In February 2009, Sony Pictures announced that Michel Gondry had signed on to take the reins! Gondry, who directed such modern classics as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep, wasn’t exactly the first you’d think of when imagining a superhero film director, but then again, neither was Rogen. Take note, though, that Gondry worked on adapting the Green Hornet property with Robocop screenwriter Edward Neumeier in the late ’90s before director Kevin Smith reportedly started work on a potential film.
Also, Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou was ultimately cast as Kato. I haven’t seen Chou’s previous films, but what I do know is his mumbling singing style, which regrettably transfers to his English here.
What’s more, you get only very brief hints of the clever, kooky camerawork that Gondry is known for. For the most part, the film plays surprisingly straight. You also get too short of a glance at the wonderful Christoph Waltz–the man who elevated Inglourious Basterds to great heights–playing the mafia honcho Benjamin Chudnofsky, and at the lovely Cameron Diaz, who plays the reporter love interest Lenore “Casey” Case. Maybe the trailer is hiding the good stuff from us; we may have to wait for better look.
For now, I’ll take what I can get, and keep my fingers crossed!
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