Stephen Chow Tagged Articles at Cinematical

It looks like the cast for The Green Hornet is complete once more, and the masked man has a new Kato. Columbia Pictures announced that Jay Chou has been cast as the Hornet's trusty mechanic / ass kicker, replacing Stephen Chow . This will be his first American film, though audiences might remember him from The Curse of the Golden Flower or Kung Fu Dunk.

Chou is a superstar in Taiwan, and has an exhaustive resume as a singer, producer, actor, director, and writer. There's not much he hasn't done ... except martial arts. Unless his biography is wrong, he has no martial art experience, putting him right in line with that open casting call that was so widely reported. Will this mean Kato will take a bit of a backseat to the Hornet, and not be a powerhouse like Bruce Lee?

His acting has received very poor reviews from Asian critics, but his performance in Curse was complimented by American critics, so Hornet will be quite a test for him. I honestly can't remember a single thing about Golden Flower other than its epic and blinding color scheme, so I can't judge whether or not he'll be a good Kato. Nothing about the pre-production of Seth Rogen's Hornet has met expectations good or bad (Nicolas Cage as the villain?), and the project continues to feel like one giant exercise in Wait and See.

On Friday, Spoiler TV posted casting call information for the role of Kato in The Green Hornet, Seth Rogen's long-struggling feature based on the iconic radio and television hero. Prior to the call, Kung Fu Hustle star, writer and director Stephen Chow was attached to play the role, and it would have been one immaculately suited for the longtime fan of Bruce Lee, who originated the role on TV. But now it appears that Chow has another feature he would like to do, and the ongoing scheduling problems the film has suffered appear to have resulted in him bowing out of the project. Thankfully, the filmmakers are maintaining only the highest and most specific standards in their search for a replacement:

"[KATO] ALL ASIAN ETHNICITIES, Male, 20's - early 40's. Brit Reid's manservant/chauffeur by day and Green Hornet's martial arts-skilled sidekick by night. Actor doesn't have to have Martial Arts experience."

According to the IMDB, Chow has moved on to CJ7 2, the sequel to his answer to E.T., which was released in 2007 (and, in the interest of full disclosure, a film for which I contributed the quote "a sweet, funny family fantasy film"). Meanwhile, Rogen is without his ass-kicking sidekick, begging the question: who do you think they should cast as Kato? Suffice it to say there are countless working Asian and Asian-American actors who could handle the role's physical demands, but given what one presumes will be a slightly more comedic bent to the characters' mythology, who would you suggest strap on Kato's black mask and share the screen with Rogen's hirsute Hornet?

This just in: Production Weekly is reporting via their Twitter feed that Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind) is going to direct Seth Rogen in The Green Hornet. The Hollywood Reporter has also confirmed this, and Gondry's involvement is sure to take this much talked-about project to another, fantastical level.

The Green Hornet has been plagued by issues ever since Seth Rogen announced he'd be writing the screenplay with Superbad pal Evan Goldberg and starring as The Green Hornet too. In fact, Rogen's lost a lot of weight for the role so far, and looks to be in pretty good shape (did you see him at the Oscars?). Meanwhile, Stephen Chow had originally signed on to direct and play Green Hornet's sidekick Kato, but backed out due to him wanting to direct his own superhero movie -- but according to THR, he's still expected to take on the role of sidekick (and we hope he does).

Gondry, however, would bring his wild imagination to a property that could totally use it. Assuming no one else drops out, count me in as someone who's extremely excited to watch the end result.

Thoughts?

Seth Rogen's revival of The Green Hornet may not see the light of day. You remember, of course, that Stephen Chow left the director's chair. It was then rumored that he might not even play Kato due to commitments to a Jack Black superhero comedy. Sony was hunting frantically for a director to make that spring shooting schedule, but no replacement has been found.

Now the usually reliable Drew McWeeny of HitFix is reporting what we have long suspected -- that you may be hearing the death knell of the Green Hornet. With Chow dropping out, Sony began to hesitate. Rumors flew at Sundance that the film was dead and McWeeny reports that if it isn't yet, it probably will be soon.

The Green Hornet has been in and out of development for years. George Clooney famously headed up one almost-but-not-quite attempt, as did Kevin Smith. McWeeney notes that "if this particular configuration doesn't happen, then I suspect it never will," which I have to agree with. If Rogen fails, he can at least take some pride that Clooney and Smith failed before him ... but it has to sting (pun not intended), especially after all that physical training he's put in. We'll watch and see what happens -- and I'll be curious if there's more cheering or weeping in the comments.

I have the sneaking suspicion that Seth Rogen's The Green Hornet remake may go the way of its failed predecessors. Over the weekend, Monika reported that Stephen Chow was no longer directing the film -- now comes the news that Chow may not remain as Kato, either.

Chow told the AP that he had abandoned directing the film in order to make a superhero comedy starring Jack Black. "If I direct The Green Hornet, the superhero comedy will have to be delayed for two years," Chow said. "The timing might not be right for a superhero comedy in two years. And I want to make a movie based on an original idea."

Presumably, directing Black might also interfere with his Kato-playing duties -- something Chow confirms by saying that continuing in the role depends on his schedule. If you're a conspiracy theorist, you can speculate away about whether Chow's really passionate about Black and original superhero comedy, or whether it's those vague "creative differences" reported earlier.

Judging from the comments, Rogen's Hornet isn't too popular anyway. I was unsure about the comedic angle the project was taking, but Chow's casting was something to hang your hopes on, particularly if they reined in his slapstick style. But maybe that's precisely what the "differences" are. Maybe they just need to quit forcing this one, and let the Hornet sit for the unforeseeable future?

Did you do a spit-take over the news that Seth Rogen was going to write himself a starring role in The Green Hornet, but then kinda rebounded when Stephen Chow became involved? If so, you might not like this bit of news.

Variety reports the film has lost Chow (of arse-kicking Kung-Fu Hustle fame) as director. Why? The dreaded creative differences. I was both puzzled and not very thrilled with the choice of Rogen, but have pretty much lost all hope if Chow isn't happy with the way things are going. There is the possibility that Chow is the one with the off-kilter vision, or that he just wanted to execute it all in a wacky way, but we're talking about Seth Rogen in a role once said to be filled by George Clooney. It just doesn't make sense.

Oh, but there's more ... Chow will still stay on the cast roster and play Kato to Rogen's Britt Reid. Is it contractual? The dream to hold a role once played by Bruce Lee? Simple disinterest in directing the feature? I don't know, but it all sounds like a big hornets nest to me. Can anyone out there actually imagine Rogen as The Green Hornet? And does anyone have high hopes for this?

It looks like another quiet week in the land of the geek -- particularly since all my friends are off at Fantastic Fest. If you're one of the lucky people attending, eat a Wild at Artichoke Hearts pizza for me at the Alamo Drafthouse. I lie awake at night thinking about it, and wishing for the skill to replicate it.

• The biggest news of the weekend was a story that hit Variety late Friday night: Stephen Chow has landed the role of Kato in The Green Hornet and the director's chair. Rumors and Seth Rogen's wishes have attached him for some time, but now it's official, and definitely shows that the project is going to be heavy on the comedy. (Incidentally, I never realized before now what huge Green Hornet fans my geek parents were -- let's just say Rogen's ears must be burning.) The movie is scheduled to be released June 25th, 2010.
  

• Tintin has run into some major financial problems. According to the LA Times, Universal has passed on the film, leaving Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson to scramble for a new studio to financially back them. It's as embarrassing as you can imagine -- not only because its two of the biggest names in the business, but because Spielberg may have to make nice with Paramount (who's financing half the film) just as he and David Geffen are trying to extricate themselves from it. It also leaves Spielberg without a project to direct, as Tintin was supposed to be next in line, and it delays the whole thing even longer. But hey, at least struggling directors the world over can now do something they never thought possible -- feel just like Spielberg!
  

Brand Upon the Brain!
If you ever loved the artistry of David Lynch, but thought his films were too dark and incomprehensible, there's Guy Maddin to ride in on a sea of comedic absurdity. With his silent film Brand Upon the Brain! he did something entirely different -- he created the ultimate live theater experience, one that can never be replicated at home unless you're ridiculously rich with a live orchestra, group of foley artists, a celebrity narrator, and a castrato at your disposal. But even still, this Criterion release does a fine job of coming close.

But first, the plot. The film focuses on a young Guy Maddin as he lives on a remote island that holds a lonely orphanage. His mother reigns with an iron fist and peeping watchtower while trying to reverse the weariness of age with her strange, scientist husband. Meanwhile, one of the orphans dies, strange holes are found on some of the kids, and some teen detectives come to investigate, all in the pulsing throb of teenage rebellion and sexuality.

While you can't create the live experience at home, Criterion has done everything possible to make this disc like the live experience. Each screening across Canada and the states had a celebrity narrator, and this disc allows you to choose between the seven narrators, which essentially gives you seven different ways to view the film -- from Maddin himself to Isabella Rossellini, John Ashbery, and Crispin Glover. There's also a documentary with interviews, two new short films, deleted scenes, a trailer, and an essay by Dennis Lim.

Check out James Rocchi's Review | Buy the DVD

Hollywood is always looking for high concept movies that can become franchises, dependent more on the premise or the character than the talent involved. In that same spirit, Hong Kong superstar Stephen Chow started his own franchise. His kung fu comedy Shaolin Soccer was a huge success in 2001, but he resisted any direct sequels. Instead, he joined with Japanese producer Chihiro Kameyama to make a spin off: Shaolin Girl.

Reminiscent of the original, the titular character is trained in Shaolin-style kung fu and wants to share that training with others. (One minor change: instead of soccer, she plays lacrosse.) The lone warrior must learn to become a team player. The film was released in Japan in April and is still playing after seven weeks. Mark Schilling of The Japan Times was not impressed, though: "This sort of thing plays well in Japan, especially with the TV-watching masses who are Kameyama's main target, but the rest of the world has so far remained indifferent."

Now Shaolin Girl has been released in Singapore and the buzz is not good. Stefan S. at A Nutshell Review suggested that a cameo by Chow might have rescued the picture, "but alas, knowing that it would stink, he rightfully kept his distance. And so should you." Blogger/movie reviewer r3gular at The World Through Me was just as blunt: "It's draggy, long-winded and some scenes were almost painful to continue watching."

I'm disappointed. The trailer looked promising. And the world needs more Shaolin girls.