Seth Rogen Tapped to Write and Star in 'The Green Hornet'

Now there's a casting tidbit I bet you never expected. Back in March, we told you how Columbia Pictures had optioned the rights to turn The Green Hornet into a big-screen adventure, after both Universal (with Ron Underwood directing) and Miramax (with Kevin Smith directing) couldn't muster up the guts to put out the film themselves. Immediately casting rumors swirled round the water cooler, with names like Jake Gyllenhaal, George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg coming up more than once. However, The LA Times claim Seth Rogen (yes, Seth "Knocked Up" Rogen!) "has entered a deal to write and likely star" in The Green Hornet.

I'm sorry ... but Seth Rogen? How do you go from George Clooney or Jake Gyllenhaal to Seth Rogen? That just seems ... weird. Regardless, that's what's being reported, and with Rogen writing, does that mean we should expect a real comedic Apatow-style take on the classic crime-fighter? The Green Hornet originally began as a radio show in the 1930s, and has since taken on a number of forms -- from comic books to television shows, the character has been around for almost 80 years now. Essentially, the story revolves around a guy named Brit Reid (blood relative of The Lone Ranger); a newspaper publisher by day and a masked hero at night (with help from his sidekick/bodyguard, Kato). He sort of reminds me of Dick Tracy with a mask. The LA Times claims that Rogen's deal was confirmed by "a number of sources inside and outside the studio," so it all seems pretty legit. Seth Rogen as The Green Hornet? I don't see it; what about you? And if Rogen stars, does that mean someone like Jack Black will play Kato? Ouch. As of now, it looks like Columbia will release the film at some point in 2009.