It was a rough and bumpy ride for "The Green Hornet" as it made its way to theaters. With chatter of studio dissatisfaction, poor test audience results, shifting release dates and a late game decision to convert to 3D, the superhero flick still managed to bank a respectable, if not quite blockbuster worthy $227 million worldwide. Sequel plans were always in works, with screenwriter Evan Goldberg saying before the film's release that the story for a followup was already mapped out. And while some folks have been holding out hope that Britt Reid would be back in action, the film's producer has candidly confirmed it's likely not going to happen.
Speaking with THR (via IGN) Neal Moritz says the actual cost of the first movie cut into the potential profits, essentially killing the opportunity of a sequel. "The movie did almost $250 million and was actually very well liked, but we made the movie for too much money. One, we made it in L.A. for certain reasons, and two, we decided to go to 3D — that added another $10 million. If I had done it in a tax-rebate state and not done 3D, it would have been considered a huge financial success for the studio. So we're not making a sequel right now," he said.
It's kind of ironic that 3D conversion — done to boost box office and lure audiences — is one of the very factors that kept "The Green Hornet" from being profitable enough to make a sequel viable. We hope that Hollywood will learn its lesson, but they likely won't. Overall, we can't say we're really that surprised, but fans shouldn't be too disappointed. Once enough time has passed, the property will probably be dusted off and rebooted all over again. After all, Sony is bringing "The Amazing Spider-Man" to screens only five years after "Spider-Man 3" so they know how they game is played. But Seth Rogen once again suiting up? Probably not gonna happen.
