It's Just Movies

— by BEN FOWLER —

Seth Rogen? The tubby slacker dude from “Knocked Up,” an action hero? As much as that may seem a little far fetched, Rogen has been slimming down and bulking up nicely for his role as Britt Reid aka The Green Hornet. Kudos to the man for his dedication in getting in shape for this meaty action role. Anyone who’s seen his most recent films like “Funny People” and “Pineapple Express” have been able to see his progress from schlub to Adonis. Well, close enough anyway.

This poster, from Kinopoisk.ru, doesn’t give much away, but we can look forward to future posters and teasers for that. What it does show is Rogen himself as “The Green Hornet” and his valet (thankfully amended from manservant from the original) and butt-kicking ally, Kato (Jay Chou), both masked up! And, of course, for the car nuts amongst us — The Green Hornet’s ride, a 1966 Chrysler Imperial, otherwise known as “The Black Beauty.” The same model as from the original ’60s TV show but, we’re promised, with super-cool updated gadgetry.

I am quietly looking forward to this film. I never believe the negative hype when people say a film is having a “troubled” shoot. But one factor I am struggling to quantify in the package is the director, Michel Gondry. Better known for more cerebral arty fare such as “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “The Science of Sleep,” this will be his first foray into action film territory. I just hope he is adept enough to be able to switch from one genre to such a drastically different one.

One thing I’m hearing that I love the sound of is that Rogen is introducing an awesome part of Britt Reid’s history into the film. Something that was in the early serials was that The Green Hornet was actually a descendant of The Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger! Can’t wait to see how he weaves that into the story.

Next we have to wait for is the inevitable teaser trailer, which will show us whether Rogen really has understood the character and whether “The Green Hornet” will truly have a sting in the tail.

Also starring Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz, Edward James Olmos, Tom Wilkinson and Edward Furlong, “The Green Hornet” is due for release Dec. 22.

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Follow Ben Fowler on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Localboy99

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