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We’ve all been waiting to see what Seth Rogen is going to look like in Michel Gondry’s THE GREEN HORNET movie… and now we know… and it’s about what I expected.  I’ve never been terribly excited at the idea of Rogen playing Britt Reid, as I’m a big fan of the original television series, and the character in general.  In the original show with Van Williams and Bruce Lee, Williams portrayed Reid as a serious crimefighter that didn’t have time for jokes.  Despite playing off the success on the 1960’s BATMAN series, that version of THE GREEN HORNET wasn’t particularly campy or silly, at least not intentionally, and I liked it that way.  I remember hearing years ago that Kevin Smith was going to helm a big screen version of the pulp hero, and (if I recall correctly) Matt Damon was rumored to star.  Personally, and it’s nothing against Rogen as a person, I just don’t like the idea of this sort of casting.  It’s automatically setting a vibe for the film that may or may not be helpful in getting butts in seats.  That said, Jay Chou looks pretty good as Kato, and the film looks to have significant action.  Plus Christoph Waltz is the baddie, and Tom Wilkinson plays Rogen’s father.  And hey, Cameron Diaz is back in a comic book movie with a green-flavored hero, and Edward James Olmos (new BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) and Edward Furlong (TERMINATOR 2) co-star.  Maybe the supporting cast will help make up for the shortcomings of the lead character’s portrayal.  I don’t know.  Again, I have nothing against Seth Rogen, I actually like the guy, I just don’t think he’s right for this.  Maybe Gondry will prove me wrong.  I will say, this looks extremely polished for a Michel Gondry film.  This could the SPIDER-MAN to his Sam Raimi.  However, rumors have been flying that the movie is fairly disjointed, and even the studio doesn’t have a lot of hopes for it (again, those are RUMORS folks).  And hey, there’s also that dreaded January release date, which isn’t a time studios use to release films that have a lot of faith in.  It also happens to be opening the exact same weekend as RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE, and both films are in 3-D, which means certain theaters will have to choose which they’ll play special versions of.  Check out the trailer at the bottom, and official photos above and below and tell us what you think in the comments.

Synopsis: Britt Reid is the son of LA’s most prominent and respected media magnate and perfectly happy to maintain a directionless existence on the party scene — until his father mysteriously dies, leaving Britt his vast media empire. Striking an unlikely friendship with one of his father’s more industrious and inventive employees, Kato, they see their chance to do something meaningful for the first time in their lives: fight crime. But in order to do this, they decide to become criminals themselves — protecting the law by breaking it, Britt becomes the vigilante The Green Hornet as he and Kato hit the streets.

Using all his ingenuity and skill, Kato builds the ultimate in advanced retro weaponry, The Black Beauty, an indestructible car equal parts firepower and horsepower. Rolling in a mobile fortress on wheels and striking the bad guys with Kato’s clever gadgets, The Green Hornet and Kato quickly start making a name for themselves, and with the help of Britt’s new secretary, Lenore Case, they begin hunting down the man who controls LA’s gritty underworld: Benjamin Chudnofsky. But Chudnofsky has plans of his own: to swat down The Green Hornet once and for all.

THE GREEN HORNET opens January 14, 2011

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