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Stephen Chow No Longer Directing Seth Rogen's Green Hornet

by Alex Billington
December 18, 2008

Although it was already officially announced in September that Stephen Chow was set to direct Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's big screen Green Hornet movie, he has apparently stepped down citing "creative differences" as his reason for leaving. Chow will still play Kato, Green Hornet's sidekick, but won't have any involvement in directing. Columbia Pictures and producer Neal Moritz are currently searching for a new director to replace Chow and expect to have a new one announced by the end of the year, which is only in just a few more weeks. As far as we know, Sony still wants this in theaters on June 25th, 2010.

While we probably won't ever hear the real story, I expect that the studio really wanted something more audience friendly and accessible, while Chow didn't. He's a great director (Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle, CJ7) but I think he joined this with a different agenda than the execs. Given this is also Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's passion project, I'm sure they're upset about his decision to leave, too. I expect we'll be hearing some details from Rogen in the next few months, so stay tuned. I've been supporting this project all along and hope they find another director that I can still get excited about as well. Any suggestions?

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http://www.cage.com Red Buttons

This saddens me.
Quanah

Very disappointing. I wish producers would back the fuck off of him and let him run with it.
Hyacinth

Stephen Chow isn't directing anymore? That makes the movie less interesting.
megalan
The Awsome Dude With Sunglasses

I'm sad.
moviekidmike

maybe Judd Apatow.
9mm

Asian stars are used to having pretty much complete control over the films they make, or are in. Not surprising really... Jackie Chan was complaining about this way back when he made "The Protector"..
Why?

That is because focus group testing showed that NO ONE was interested in another Rush Hour like film, NO ONE! Chow would be smart to distance himself from this film as long as Rogan is involved and planing a comedy.
Tim "Cloverfield"

It its PAINFULLY obvious Chow realized that the Hack and complete Waste that is Seth Rogen was going to star and ended his attachment to our beloved GREEN HORNET.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MarTenSaa Mario Tenorio

To #9: Thats what I thought. My disappointment is colossal.
SS

"The Green Hornet" would have only worked in the hands of Stephen Chow as a feature wherein the Green Hornet is inept (ergo: Seth Rogen) and the real hero is his more gifted Asian sidekick (ergo: Stephen Chow). That is, something along the lines of TV's Remington Steele, where a man is elevated to a position only because his more talented sidekick is willing to work behind the scenes. I suspect there were racial issues about it or something. But in a word, a Green Hornet film made this way with Chow's name on it would have sold big in Asia and in China, and since one can sort of stretch America's capacity for self-depreciating humor (again, Seth Rogen)... it could have worked in America too. About the only people disappointed by this take would be fans of the "gritty" Green Hornet of the TV show. Without a director. This thing is now officially in limbo.
http://www.youtube.com/XDPeruMan XD Reyes

uhm...director? uhm...well...rogen and chow defintly have diferences, a lot, in their sense of humor. so i guess it's going to be really hard to find a director for both of them, and a good way for them to get along some way. i mean, come on, i think they're perfect for the cast, but would you join superbad with shaolin soccer? no, they would really kill each other, because of their hard and special sense of humor, but the difference is too much, they are not going to make it in time for the original release date, thats for sure. but theyre definetly going to finish it, and hopefully, it'll be perfect.