Stephen Chow off Green Hornet Completely
Posted by Rodneyon 14. 07. 2009in News Chat
I am still skeptical about Seth Rogen’s take on Green Hornet. I keep thinking its going to be goofball slacker comedy that we love seeing him in, but then hope that its going to be the opposite and we would get a fitting tribute to the character on screen.
I give Seth Rogen the benefit of the doubt, but when his director Stephen Chow stepped down (but still agrees to co-star) I had to extend that benefit a little further. Now it appears that Chow is out. The guy is just to busy with other things that are more important to him. Ok, stretch that doubt a little further…
But then I saw the casting call for his replacement.
Chow has another feature he would like to do, and the ongoing scheduling problems the film has suffered appear to have resulted in him bowing out of the project. Thankfully, the filmmakers are maintaining only the highest and most specific standards in their search for a replacement:“[KATO] ALL ASIAN ETHNICITIES, Male, 20′s – early 40′s. Brit Reid’s manservant/chauffeur by day and Green Hornet’s martial arts-skilled sidekick by night. Actor doesn’t have to have Martial Arts experience.”
I can appreciate that they are accepting any variety of ages, as that part is not as important to the character as much as the presence. But to define him as “Green Hornet’s martial arts-skilled sidekick by night” and then put a casting call out that says they don’t have to have any martial arts expierence?
Now my benefit of doubt was already stretched, so I have none left to assume there are many dancers that make fine martial artists on screen (Van Damme and Swayze come to mind) but I at least would have wanted to see someone capable of martial arts to play Green Hornet’s martial arts-skilled sidekick!
I’m running out of hope for this movie. At least we will have Kevin Smith’s rejected script coming out this summer as a comic book so we can compare a “what if” to what Rogen finally comes out with.
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I’m not following you Rodney. While a martial arts background would help, I also loosely understand why “it isn’t required”. After all, perhaps there is a fight/martial arts choreographer connected to the picture. I’m not suggesting that Yoo-Ping or Donnie Yen someone like him is involved, but perhaps that might be the case?
That said, I don’t think we should worry all that much. I still have hopes for the new Hornet, and …after seeing Star Trek I would even accept John Cho as Kato.
(Come to think of it, I’m almost willing to bet…)
Donnie Yen would make a good Kato
donnie yen, i second that!
I was only using the idea of fight chereography, but seeing the above description (20 to early 40s) and Yen is 45 years young…
And some folks might want the part to give a bit of ‘honor’ to Bruce Lee…
y’know what? I was thinkin’ John Cho for this wacky stuff, but due to my indirect suggestion, I’m sold!
Donnie Yen, step on up!
I don’t care who directs or co-stars…I still find it strange to see Seth Rogen as the Hornet…I know there have been really strange castings that turn out great in the end, like Keaton as Batman or Daniel Craig as bond…both proved me wrong and were great. But still Rogen as Hornet?? Just can’t see it.
Isn’t Kato the star?
I know that Brit Reid is the title character but nobody really cared about him on the tv show.
The movie is called Green Hornet, not Kato.
Just sayin.
Kato was the sidekick. He might have had more of the action (being that he was Bruce Lee) but he was not the star of the show or the Comic book.
Bruce Lee was the absolute highlight of the show, its saving grace and the reason its even vaguely known today. The film should have a Kato who can fight, I dont want to see a combination of clever editing and wire work instead of good fighting.
“I am still skeptical about Seth Rogen’s take on Green Lantern. I keep thinking its going to be goofball slacker comedy that we love seeing him in, but then hope that its going to be the opposite and we would get a fitting tribute to the character on screen.”
You men the Hornet right ?
There is a God…now Chow gone , the Hack that is Rogen will destroy the sacred Green Hornet. This is dead to me, and many of us, the mature film goer has no use for the talentless Rogen. The fitting tribute as described above is for Rogen to dissolve this project ASAP. I have expressed my concerns with Sony as many Hornet fans have done the same. China’s Kato fans have been outraged since the first announcement. This must stop NOW!!!!!
Oops.. I was reading Green Lantern news this morning too.
Fixed.
I wouldn’t say its a bad thing per say. Chow like to write, direct, and star in his films. He’s probably used to that and probably doesn’t want to change that aspect of his career. It’s understandable.
He was more than willing to Direct and Co-star something he didnt write when he signed on to Hornet.
It just seems he is prioritizing, which might sound bad for Hornet. It just doesn’t rank for him.
Could also be creative differences maybe? I mean as a director, maybe he wanted to take it in a different direction that they wouldn’t allow? That’s ultimately what I was getting at when I mentioned that he probably likes to work on things he also wrote and has full creative freedom on. Being that its with Rogan and an american release, I’m sure a lot of people are over seeing this and making sure it’s something that’ll turn a profit.
in case you don’t know, chow is pretty much a egomaniac. i don’t see him being someone else’s sidekick in someone else’s movie. i’m not surprised he left the project.
FACT: Jean Claude Van Damme IS a Martial artist.
look it up.
FACT: Jean Claude Van Damme STARTED studying Martial arts after doing a NUMBER of action films.
He is a classically trained dancer first and foremost.
Look it up.
Im pretty sure he did Karate competitions before ballet training.
look it up
Quot from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Claude_Van_Damme
“He began martial arts at the age of ten, enrolled by his father in a shotokan karate school. His styles consist of kickboxing, shotokan karate, muay thai, and taekwondo. He eventually earned his black belt in karate, later winning the European Karate Association’s middleweight championship in a stunning upset vs. the former champion Michael J. Heming”
What about Tony Jaa as Kato? Remember him from such films as The Protector? And that other one there… it elludes me.
Ong Bak
Hmmm…Muay Thai (and possibly eskirma) instead of kung fu and Jeet Kwon Do?
Sure. Why not. Better yet, go MMA and have all the above.
erm sorry van damme started martial arts at 10, ballet at 16,at one point he was european karate association middleweight champion and his professional fight record was 18-1 with all wins being knockouts….he retired from it in 1980 well before his film career started