With superheroes seemingly not going out of style anytime soon on the big screen, studios are trampling each other to get the rights to whatever characters that are available. And it appears that Universal is the studio that has secured the opportunity to bring “The Green Hornet and Kato” to cinemas.
According to Variety, Universal has teamed up with Amasia, the rights holders to the Green Hornet character, to develop a brand-new film based on the classic heroes. “The Green Hornet and Kato” is expected to follow the story of a newspaper publisher that uses his sources, money, fighting skills, and a nice car to become a vigilante crime fighter. He teams with his partner Kato, who is a skilled martial artist to help battle evildoers.
The new film is set to be produced by Amasia’s co-founders Michael Helfant and Bradley Gallo. Helfant is actually someone with some superhero background, as he served as the CFO for several years at Marvel Studios beginning in 2005. The film is the latest attempt to adapt the superhero characters for live-action. Previously, and most famously, “The Green Hornet” was a TV series that featured Bruce Lee as Kato. And in 2011, Michel Gondry and Seth Rogen teamed up to bring ‘Green Hornet’ to theaters, but the film failed to kickstart a new franchise.
Peter Cramer, president of Universal Pictures, saying in a statement, “The Green Hornet is one of the most iconic and beloved superhero tales ever created, and it has entertained generations of fans in every form of storytelling. We are thrilled to be partnering with Michael, Bradley, and the entire Amasia team to launch an exciting new cinematic world for Britt Reid, Kato, and the Black Beauty, and we can’t wait to share it with global audiences soon.”
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Helfant added, “Universal will be a great home for our new Green Hornet and Kato. The team at Universal share our passion & enthusiasm for the property and will devote the resources to launch a truly global franchise. And, it’s very cool that Universal was the original distributor of the 1940’s movie serials. Our goal is to make a film that existing fans will love, and new fans will love to discover. With Universal, it feels like we are merging the past and the future, creating a contemporary version of the franchise that is fresh and exciting while respecting its long legacy and history. I can’t wait!”
It’s unclear when “The Green Hornet and Kato” might hit the big screen again, but when it does, fans will be eager to see if the characters will provide an alternative to the Marvel Studios-dominated superhero landscape.
