Don’t Sting The Fans: What Needs To Happen In The Green Hornet Reboot

Since 1936, The Green Hornet, along with his partner/sidekick/secret weapon, Kato, has been part of the pop-culture and superhero landscapes. The concept of the character is a unique one for the masked heroes genre.

Britt Reid, a newsman, and his partner/butler, Kato, are declared wanted criminals by the authorities, Rather than trying to correct that misunderstanding, the duo uses that to pose as criminals and either sets the real crooks to take out one another or uses inside info to involve the cops. It’s a long-term sting operation as if Batman were actually Danny Ocean instead of Bruce Wayne.

Although popular on the radio and comics, the character came into his own during the 1960’s TV series, Starring Van Williams as our titular vigilante, and Bruce Lee’s dynamic take on Kato, this version was the definitive one for many fans. Troubled by in-fighting between William Dozier who wanted a camp series like his previous effort, Batman, and radio series producer George W. Trendle’s push to keep the Hornet a serious character like the radio programs.

Embed from Getty Images
Looking at these images, from the Getty Archives, we can see the passion behind the chaarcters and the chemistry betwen Van Williams and Bruce Lee.

However, in 2011, a Sony produced movie starring Seth Rogen as an irresponsible, accidental ‘hero’ and Stephen Chou as the overly-competent Kato was played almost as the camp influenced movie that Dozier so desperately wanted to do in the 1960s. Not loved by fans or critics, this Hornet was swatted hard by its disrespect of the character. Besides the scripting and other issues, the Rogen/Chou non-chemistry was just another issue that plagued this version of the character.

And now with the announcement of a Gren Hornet reboot, here are a few things that need to be considered for the next iteration of this long-loved character.

1)Respect what has come before: Understand that the creation of the character is not a bunch of happy accidents. The characters’ actions and behavior, like one of Bruce Lee’s kicks, is all about precision.

2)Time and Place: Although some modern comics have brought the characters into now, like the Rogen film, the character works better in a retro environment. Mid to late 1970s caper films continue to be favorite films. Or an anachronistic setting like the modern Ocean’s movies would be an ideal setting.

3) Know the characters: Although the radio, TV, and various comics versions may be hard to mesh together the heart of the characters stay the same. Reid/The Green Hornet is using his masquerade as a criminal to serve the greater good. Kato is in some ways a samurai serving in a war with brother in arms and uses his status as a disguise so that others will underestimate or not associate him with his masked persona, and Mike Axford is a stalwart, overbearing crime reporter with a strong moral compass. Abandoning concepts such as these hurts the delivery of the project.

4) Minimalism is key: Although many modern superhero films feel they have to be big/loud/insane to grab the audience, The Green Hornet does not have to be in that craziness. The action should be more paced like a crime or thriller movie, with the Black Beauty and fight scenes more practical and well portrayed than how the film can deafen or over stimulate the audience.

5) Keep classic elements: Although might seem like a retread of an earlier notion, the iconic theme song amped by Al Hirt, or the concepts such as non-lethal weapons, such as Kato’s darts or the Hornet’s gas gun, helped separate the franchise from the deluge of other masked heroes. A little jazz in the midst of so many metal concerts could be a refreshing change for the genre.

So, let’s hope that the producers keep The Green Hornet and Kato true to their roots and give us a smart superhero film, rather than what we have seen before. Gear up and let’s roll, Kato.