Michel Gondry To Direct Rogen’s Green Hornet
What a strange and tumultuous journey it’s been forSeth Rogen’sThe Green Hornet. First, Asian kung fu masterStephen Chowwastapped to direct, but then discouragingly stepped out of the director’s chair due tocreative differences. Then it was reported that the projectmight not happen at all, only for Seth Rogen to chime in saying that if a director could be found,the project would still move forward. Now, according toThe Hollywood ReporterandVariety, that director has been found:Michel Gondry(They also report that at this point, Chow is still expected to play Kato).
Gondry is one of my favorite directors of all time, despite the fact that I was hugely disappointed byBe Kind, Rewindlast year. However, this choice strikes me as bizarre at best.Hornetis positioned to be a comedic actioner, and while Gondry undoubtedly has the skill to branch out in the action department, there’s nothing in his filmography that screams “mainstream friendly.” Gondry creates fantastical worlds that are visually interesting, and he constantly forces the viewer to wrap her head around them. While I’m mostly glad that this project will be moving forward as planned (and definitely glad to see Gondry get more work), count me as skeptical that this collaboration will produce the results that both the producer and director are looking for.
David Chen can be reached at davechensemail(AT)gmail(DOT)com.Update:A number of people in the comments have mentioned Gondry’s ill-fated attempt to do a version ofThe Green Hornetin the 1990s withRobocop/Starship Troopersscreenwriter Edward Neumeier. Gondry worked on the project for almost two years, and got very far along in the design stage before the project was ultimately shelved. For more details about this, check outthis interview with GondryatThe Guardian, orthisNew York Timesprofile.
