StephenChow Tagged Articles at Cinematical

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.

It is indeed happening. Entertainment Weekly has reported that Seth Rogen's Green Hornet movie has the go-ahead, even down to its release date: June 25th, 2010.

Rogen is still set to star as Britt Reid, the bored newspaper publisher by day, crimefighter by night. He is also still writing the script with his partner, Evan Goldberg. But no director has yet been named, nor has Kato been cast. (If you remember, Rogen favors Stephen Chow. Sounds like he still does.)

Rogen's attachment to the project was reported a year ago, but given how many Green Hornet movies have fallen apart, I don't think anyone was holding their breath.
Were they? I mean, this was once a property attached to everyone from George Clooney to Jake Gyllenhaal. Kevin Smith spent years trying to develop it. Who knew Rogen would be the one to finally do it?

This news comes on the heels of CHUD's brief chat with Rogen, where he was saying the film still hadn't been green lit. He discussed the tone they were trying to set with the film -- it isn't going to be bumbling humor, and it will feature some serious action. Rogen and Goldberg are hoping the comedy comes from the unconventional relationship between the Hornet and Kato. Perhaps that will soothe the doubts of our readers, who were quite furious when the news broke. Have you become more reconciled to it, or are you still wishing for what could have been?

Stephen Chow's still got it. Now in his mid 40's, the Chinese comic actor par excellence has slowed down his output since his prolific earlier days (i.e. the early 90s), when it wasn't unusual for him to appear in three, four or more flicks per year. Firmly in control of his own projects as star, writer, and director, his last two films (Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle) have been comedy gold and incredibly successful at the worldwide box office.

His latest, CJ7, a family-oriented fantasy comedy about a kid and a cute alien critter, opened a few days ago in Asia and is making ordinary moviegoers act like postal carriers. (You know, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night ...") Variety reports that thousands of people in mainland China "defied blizzards" just to see the film, pushing the box office take to 60 million yuan ($8.35 million) in just four days of release. It's been equally successful in Hong Kong, grossing HK$15.8 million ($2.03 million) on a massive 100 screens, according to Variety. A different source, Box Office Mojo, puts the gross at $2.11 million, which translates into $24,894 per screen at 85 locations. And in Taiwan, Variety says partial figures peg the total so far at NT$35 million ($1.09 million).

As Monika reported, Chow talked up the film at a recent press conference. The reviews so far has been mixed to good, but not ecstatic (see Variety, Twitch, LoveHKFilm). CJ7 opens in New York and Los Angeles on March 7, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics; hopefully the rest of us won't have to wait much longer to see it. To get an early taste, check out the trailer.