It seems that the crimefighting duo of The Green Hornet and Kato could be set for a return to the big screen, with Deadline reporting that Amasia Entertainment has secured the feature film rights to the property which first launched as a radio serial back in 1936.
“This is one of the only stand-alone classic superhero franchises,” said Amasia co-founder Michael Helfant. “We’re a bunch of fan geeks at Amasia and are thrilled about creating something fresh and truly worthy of this legacy property. A new world that is relevant and thrilling, while respecting and honoring the original vision.”
“When I was a kid, The Green Hornet was one of my favorite television series,” Helfant continued. “I loved everything about it: the Green Hornet, Kato, and of course, the Black Beauty. They were the coolest! It was personally painful to leave them all behind when I left Dimension. So I tried to option the property again at Marvel before it went over to Sony, and then again in 2017 before the rights landed at Paramount.”
“As long as I’ve known Michael, he has expressed his loving ‘nerdom’ for Green Hornet and passed on his addiction to me,” added Amasia co-founder Bradley Gallo. “I am looking forward to bridging the film worlds of America and Asia – and I’m very grateful to be on this journey with Michael, Amasia, the Green Hornet family, and fellow fans!”
The Green Hornet – a.k.a. newspaper man (and grand-nephew to the Lone Ranger) Britt Reid – first graced the big screen in a 1940 movie serial before switching to the small screen in 1966 for the short-lived TV series starring Van Williams in the title role and Bruce Lee as Kato. A comedic feature film reboot starring Seth Rogen and Jay Chou was released in 2011, receiving mixed reviews but enjoying modest box office success.
