Hey kids, do you remember The Green Hornet? Whether it’s the original ‘30s radio show, the TV series from the ’60s, or the more recent Seth Rogen/Jay Chou incarnation from 2011, the property has had a healthy life that’s seen it coming back around every so often. Now it looks like history is about to bring Britt Reid and Kato to the big screen again, as Universal is ready to revive the property as a film franchise.
Variety is reporting that Universal, in partnership with Amasia Entertainment, are planning to make The Green Hornet and Kato into a major motion picture that’ll reacquaint audiences new and old with this classic heroic duo. So auto enthusiasts, if you have any replicas of Black Beauty itching to be shown off, you’ll probably want to spruce them up in the near future.
This comes after the last proposed revival for The Green Hornet, which would have seen The Way Back director Gavin O’Connor taking point on directing duties. So while that prospect sounds like it’s sadly gone by the wayside, that doesn’t mean it’s time to give up on a good time.
Centered around newspaper publisher Brett Reid, and his partner Kato, The Green Hornet details the adventures of the titular hero and his mistaken identity as a villain. Using the ruse as a way to infiltrate crime from the inside, The Green Hornet has seen crossovers with everyone from The Lone Ranger in his radio days to Adam West’s Batman in the ‘60s.
Universal’s new revival of The Green Hornet and Kato is reminiscent of a time when, in a post-Batman afterglow, Hollywood tried to revive older comic properties in a bid of finding the next big four panel hit. That sort of thinking brought heroes like The Shadow and The Rocketeer to theater screens, and in a more recent context, was more than likely the reason that Sony released its Michel Gondry-directed reboot in 2011.
With a new reboot comes a new opportunity to throw a fresh coat of paint onto something as historic as The Green Hornet. As no writing or directing talent has been signed yet, there’s no telling what this next chapter in the franchise will look like. But if The Batman’s new revival is leaning towards something more gritty and noir-ish, it couldn’t hurt for The Green Hornet and Kato to take the same tactic, would it? Maybe if everyone plays their cards right, Britt Reid and Bruce Wayne could meet up again, in a crossover event that could rival even the best that Marvel Studios could produce.
All things are possible in this brave new world that will see The Green Hornet and Kato springing into action yet again. While The Green Hornet and Kato has no production schedule or release date specified just yet, that’s not going to stop us from getting hyped about the possibilities. Naturally, as soon as we have any additional details, you’ll be able to read all about it on CinemaBlend once they break.
