The Green Hornet wasn’t quite the superhero smash that the studio had hoped it would be. The Seth Rogen action/comedy had a tumultuous trip to the big screen and landed with a resounding thud. The character has been a mainstay for fans of pulp adventure. It was assumed that the Green Hornet would be sitting on the shelf for quite a while. Looks like that isn’t the case.
Gavin O’Connor has been attached to direct a new version of this vigilante tale. He’s working closely with screenwriter Sean O’Keefe on a first draft. O’Connor says he wants to strip away the campy aspects of the story and present something much more grounded. That’s probably the right way to go after the self-aware silliness of the Seth Rogen film.
I’ve said that The Accountant is the best superhero movie of 2016. Sure, it isn’t based on any existing property. However, O’Connor understands how to tell a story about a powerful figure using their unique abilities. He’s shown that in both The Accountant and Warrior. Taking the story of Britt Reid and giving it a mature spin could work in his hands.
A Childhood Dream Come True
The most comforting thing is hearing O’Connor speak about his fandom for the Green Hornet. He talked to Deadline and sounded incredibly enthusiastic about the project.
“I’ve been wanting to make this movie— and create this franchise— since I’ve wanted to make movies. As a kid, when most of my friends were into Superman and Batman, there was only one superhero who held my interest— The Green Hornet. I always thought he was the baddest badass because he had no superpowers. The Green Hornet was a human superhero. And he didn’t wear a clown costume. And he was a criminal— in the eyes of the law— and in the eyes of the criminal world. So all this felt real to me.”
It’s great to hear that a lifelong fan is getting his chance to make his mark on a character he loves. The Green Hornet and Kato are great characters that need to come back into the public consciousness. If O’Connor feels that he’s the man for the job, I’m ready to see what he’s got. It can’t be any worse than the last movie.
