Stephen Chow Takes on ‘The Green Hornet’

For months, movie geeks around the world have been speculating about who would play Kato in the Seth Rogen-written take on ‘The Green Hornet’.   For almost as long, Stephen Chow’s name has been linked to the part.   Today comes confirmation that not only is Chow taking the part of Green Hornet’s sidekick, the man who brought us ‘Kung Fu Hustle’ and ‘Shaolin Soccer’ will be directing ‘The Green Hornet’.

Columbia presidents Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach announced today that Chow would be directing the film about the masked vigilante and his Asian sidekick/driver.   Rogen will be playing the titular role.

“Stephen was always my and Evan’s first choice for director and to play Kato,” says Rogen.   “We just hope that he never finds out we’re not the Wachowski Brothers.”

Sony has previously worked with Chow with major success.   ‘Kung Fu Hustle’ brought in $100 million worldwide.   The studio also released last year’s sci-fi/comedy by Chow, ‘CJ7’.

“When Seth, Evan and Neal said they wanted Stephen Chow to be part of ‘The Green Hornet,’ it was a fantasy,” Tolmach said. “Now that it’s happening, it’s almost too good to be true. Stephen’s been an important part of the Sony family for many years, so it’s truly serendipitous for us to be moving forward with him directing the movie and starring as Kato.”

“I’m excited to be taking on ‘The Green Hornet’ — obviously I’ve been a huge fan of the show since I was a kid,” Chow said. “The idea of stepping into Bruce Lee’s shoes as Kato is both humbling and thrilling, and to get the chance to direct the project as my American movie debut is simply a dream come true.”