Saw This From A Country Mile Away: The Seth Rogen Green Hornet Movie

An adventure wherein your favorite Mad Pulp Bastard yet again ensures he will never get a studio job by biting the hand that feeds. 

According to IESB  Sony is a little shocked that a Seth Rogen-starring GREEN HORNET movie is well...

CAMPY.

To quote Valerie D'Orazio :

#1: You hired Seth Rogen to play the Green Hornet. You hired Seth Rogen to play the Green Hornet. You. Hired. Seth. Rogen. To. Play. The. Green. Hornet.

#2: Michel Gondry lists Superman III as a movie making inspiration in general.

#3: You hired Seth Rogen to play the Green Hornet.

You get what you pay for... 

This is disappointing that you came to the realization that Seth Rogen is a comedian.  One supposes you were going for the same chemical stew that was the Michael Keaton Batman .

And it's not like they couldn't see the camp in other aspects of the movie. Case in point:  THE BLACK BEAUTY. 

I'm disappointed, but I certainly can't say I didn't see this coming. 

For me, I would like to see a Michael Mann,  HEAT - inspired version of the Hornet out there.  Hell, I'll even let him shoot it on that HD video he likes so much.

He just has to capture the grim, crime-infested world that is the Green Hornet's territory.  The one where cops are on the take,  criminals hold office, and it takes someone crazy enough to dress up in a trenchcoat and mask and pose as a violent, sadistic, near-mythical underworld kingpin in order to see that justice is done.

The Hornet is the Keyser Soze of crime. When he shows up people - poof! - disappear.  When other criminals get in his way he makes sure they go down.  He's everywhere and nowhere at once, and if you cross him -- you're gonna get stung.

Say, maybe that's what happened here.  The Hornet found out someone was trying to film a movie about his exploits so he made sure his myth remained intact by making sure Rogen got the job no matter what.

After all, who'd believe The Green Hornet was real after seeing Seth play him?

Seems Sony's the one who got stung this go round.

Green Hornet Conquers Web...Again

Many folks here in these parts know of my affection for the french Green Hornet short that made the rounds a couple of years ago.

Now, from MTV's SPLASH PAGE comes this announcement that there's a new Green Hornet web series shooting in Chicago:

Over at Destructo, they’re reporting that filming for a “GreenHornetTV” web series recently occurred at a famous landmark in Chicago. While their sources say the project isn’t related to the “Green Hornet” movie, they do claim that whatever does come of the shoot will end up online at www.GreenHornetTV.com. (The site currently states that whatever is planned for it is “coming soon.”)

“Filming at the Uptown Bank building seems to have been for basic interior shots and did not appear to involve the Hornet himself,” reads the site’s report. “However, other witnesses said that the police who were present may not have been wearing Chicago issued uniforms, but this could not be confirmed.”

Could there be yet another medium Green Hornet is headed to in the near future? We’ll be sure to keep you posted as any news develops.

Could this be where The Knightmare heads to in the future?

Hmmmm...

Hear That Buzzing?

That's the sound of my furious fingers flying across the keyboard as I rewrite my movie for Andrew...

and begin my writing for Moonstone Books new anthology series THE GREEN HORNET!

I received approval of my treatment yesterday (some of you saw my glee via Facebook) and now have to get down to the grim and gritty adventures of the man who hunts the biggest of all game.

Wow. I'm writing the Green Hornet.

I'm also going to be making another big announcement next week.

Life is good (and busy).

The Green Hornet Strikes Again!

Oh and in Other News...Captain Canuck!

IDW didn't send me this press release, but I found out through the channels they are re-publishing the classic CAPTAIN CANUCK!

I remember reading this comic back in the early 70's (?) one summer at my grandparents house in the bustling metropolis of Grinnell, Iowa. There was a local newsstand that was near my grandfather's plumbing business that held paperbacks, newspapers, magazines (which I later learned were the "Men's Sweats" from publisher Martin Goodman. I just knew the same guy was on every cover - Steve Holland.

It was the same summer that I discovered The Shadow... and yes, THE WEALTH SEEKER was the first Shadow novel I read.








And the radio version of The Green Hornet (I purchased a radio cassette at the airport on the way to Iowa and had to wait the entire summer before I could get back to SC and listen to the programs!).


So yes, the good Captain holds warm memories for me. Not just because I associate him with that great summer, but because CC was a comic that was different. The art by George Freeman and J-C St. Aubin was different in that it took a more classic, comic strip approach to comics than what I was getting from Marvel or DC. The coloring wasn't slapdash but rather "painted" in a technique similar to what I was seeing in PRINCE VALIANT.

I'm glad to see the Captain has returned and that he'll sit proudly on my shelf and in my heart.

The WTF Department:

From today's Hollywood Reporter...

Michel Gondry is in negotiations to direct "The Green Hornet," Columbia's big-screen treatment of the classic crime-fighting hero being portrayed by Seth Rogen.

Excuse me, I'm going to go have my aneurysm now...

Pulp Report from NYCC: 2009 - Tollin Leaves Nostalgia Ventures, Shadow Feature Development, Murray to Write New Doc, More...

Pulpster Kevin Byrne answered the call to action and submitted this report on the "Pulp Panel" at this year's New York Comic Con:

Anthony Tollin announced that he split from Nostalgia Ventures and has moved his properties to Spectrum (which I believe is his own imprint).

Attending were Joe Gentile of Moonstone Publishing, Ron Fortier of Airship 27, Steven Seagel (sic?) of Weird Tales, Anthony Tollin (formerly) of Nostalgia Ventures, author Will Murray, producer F.G. DeSanto, Charles Ardai of Hardcase Crime, and Mark Halegua of NY Pulp Club.

In talking about new projects, Joe Gentile announced new Doc Savage collection of original radio scripts (didn't know that it had been on radio), as well as a collection of new Avenger stories; Ron Fortier has new Captain Hazard, Secret Agent X and Jim Anthony stories coming soon; Steven Seagel talked about how Weird Tales in trying to bridge the comic/fiction divide in the wake of their 85th anniversary.

Anthony Tollin talked about how he just printed the 25th edition of the Shadow and the 24th edition of Doc Savage, and will be publishing a collection of Orson Welles' radio shows from when he was the Shadow, as well as new Avenger, The Whisperer and Captain Fury stories. He also spoke of how he had warned DC Comics about the tagline for The Whisperer, which is 'The Secret Life of James W.Gordon.'

Will Murray and Anthony Tollin talked about how most of the early comics were nothing more than full-blown adaptations of those adventure pulps, citing Batman and the Green Hornet as prime examples (turns out Batman's first story was a full adaptation of a Shadow story).

F.G. DeSanto spoke about the current Shadow feature he has in development with Michael Uslan and Sam Raimi, and that they're currently working on the second draft. It will be a period piece, and they're aiming to maintain a tonal consistency with the original material - it will not be an origin story and it will stay away from the previous movie.

Oh, and the Shadow may not be Lamont Cranston...

Charles Ardai spoke about how Hard Case Crime is going to expand its scope, from just pulp crime to include pulp adventure as well. He has a series planned around a character - Gabriel Hunt - and that the first book is written and the second book is being written.

The two big pieces of news were saved for last:

• Will Murray announced that he is currently writing a new Doc Savage story based on old Lester Dent notes (due to be released either next year or the year after that), and...

• Joe Gentile announced that Moonstone will be publishing new Green Hornet material later this year, and that it will be pure pulp crime fiction.

Seth Rogen Need Not Apply...

Sorry folks, whiney fanboy time:

Can you seriously see Seth Rogen (even a Slimfast/Atkins Seth Rogen) as Britt Reid?
Even in the campy, swinging sixties they cast people with serious attitude....







(And yes, I understand there are elements to this 60's styled story that don't hold up well. However for the most part, it is played seriously. The latter episodes tried to adopt the Batman camp and hastened the show's demise)