Well, it appears that Stephen Chow is definitely out of the Green Hornet movie. He dashed the hopes of a lot of fans when it was announced that he wouldn't be directing (that's going to Michel Gondry). But now it's fairly certain he won't be starring as the Green Hornet's badass sidekick Kato either.
Without official word, we pretty much figured he had dropped the role a long time ago. But /Film has posted a casting call that leaves us without a doubt that they are indeed opening it up and looking for a new guy to play Kato: Kato Casting Call Kicks Chow To The Curb?
[KATO] ALL ASIAN ETHNICITIES, Male, 20's - early 40's. Brit Reid's manservant/chauffeur by day and Green Hornet's martial arts-skilled sidekick by night. Actor doesn't have to have Martial Arts experience.Well, now it's wide open. Kato could be played by any Asian actor, of any ethnicity. Hell, the actor doesn't even have to know martial arts. I have no idea what to expect anymore. My hope is that they just get someone capable, and make this damn project finally happen.
But hey, at least they're keeping him Asian. You could certainly see studio execs trying to pull something sneaky, like an Airbender, and re-envisioning Kato as a non-Asian character. Because that's edgy. But honestly, who the hell knows what Seth Rogen and Michel Gondry are going to do with the character now?
