Michel Gondry Sees Green (Hornet)

Here’s something that’s got me excited. Remember Seth Rogen’s The Green Hornet project that he wrote and was going to star in? It looks like there’s a very good chance that Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep, Be Kind Rewind) is going to direct it.

I think this has the potential to be two scoops of awesome, folks. There’s nothing better than giving a very artistic independent film director a commercial script and a big budget.

Originally, Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle) had signed on to not only direct but to also play Kato, the Green Hornet’s kung fu sidekick. However, he dropped out to direct but still remained attached to play Kato.

When I originally heard that Rogen had written the script and was going to star in it, my feelings were mixed like a lot of people. But some of the best films evoked mixed feelings when they were first announced, and I love when actors play characters you’d never expect them to.

Rogen’s reputation is as a comedy writer, and the vibe of the project feels like it’s going to have a lot of comedy in it, but you know what? So what. So much crap is being pumped out these days, and at the very least this project sounds like it could be really cool.

Gondry is one of the most interesting visual filmmakers in the business. I feel like when directors who generally tend to be artsy and independent get a good piece of material that is artistic and has commercial appeal, we get the best films.

I’ve been waiting for Gondry to break into the mainstream, and this may be it. I don’t get excited easily, but I’m excited now.

I would love to Seth Rogen play this character differently than how he is in the Judd Apatow comedy stuff. He looked kinda slim at the Oscars last week, which means he’s probably getting into shape so the audience can believe he can kick peoples’ asses.

Got Another Clue?

The Hasbro board game fallout continues. If I understand this correctly, Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean films) is intending to direct another live-action film of the popular board game, “Clue.” I say “another” because those of us born in the ’80s can’t help but remember the first film version of Clue released in 1985 that starred Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean and Madeline Kahn.

I used to watch that film all the time when I was a kid, and it still holds up as a fun slapstick comedy. I suppose it’s better to call this project a “reenvisioning” rather than a “remake,” because it’s very unlikely that they’re going to do anything remotely similar to the story of the first film.

The board game kind of had an interchangeable story every time you played it, so I guess the same could be said for film versions. I’m not sure how set in stone this project is, but if it must be done, I think Verbinski is definitely the best guy to do it.

Verbinski is one of those directors like Chistopher Nolan and Darren Aronofsky who does a great job bridging the gap between artistry and commercialism. His work on the Pirates films was masterful, and if he does in fact do this Clue movie, it’ll probably be awesome.

He’s supposed to direct a live-action film of the video game “BioShock,” which I hope he does first, but who knows? As unpredictable as the business is, he may end up scrapping both projects and doing a small little movie about friendship.

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