Seth Rogen's Green Hornet has finally found his crime-fighting sidekick - and fans of Asian cinema may recognize the face under Kato's domino mask. Updated: Plus, Edward James Olmos joins the cast.
Jay Chou, the Taiwanese singer and actor and star of Initial D, The Curse of the Golden Flower and Kung Fu Dunk, has been chosen to replace Stephen Chow as martial artist Kato, chauffeur and ass-saver of Rogen's inept superhero Green Hornet. Michel Gondry, who took over from Chow as director, is excited about the choice:
Jay is incredibly unique and charming and fights like a wild dog!
Whether ot not wild dog fighting is necessary for the movie itself remains to be seen.
The Green Hornet is currently in pre-production and targeted for release next summer.
'Green Hornet' casts Kato role [Variety]
Updated: Hollywood Snitch talked to Edward James Olmos at Wizard World in Chicago, and the Battlestar Galactica actor revealed his involvement with the film:
"I'm on my way to do 'The Green Hornet,'" Olmos told me. "It'll be a lot of fun with Seth [Rogen], Nicolas Cage and Cameron Diaz."
So what Hornet role has snagged Bill Adama's attention? There's no word yet, but /Film speculates Olmos may have signed on to play Gunnigan the Daily Sentinel editor with a hair-trigger temper and a special loathing for Sentinel reporter and Green Hornet nemesis Mike Axford.