Nicolas Cage too good for The Green Hornet?

You probably already know this but Nicolas Cage dropped out of The Green Hornet over a week ago. He was promptly replaced by someone who can actually act Christoph Waltz. Can't say I was remotely disappointed by this news. There hadn't been an exact reason as to why Cage left, but he did finally discuss the reason for his departure with the Canadian Press (via FirstShowing) while promoting Bad Lieutenant at the Toronto International Film Festival:

Cage says he "wasn't interested in just being just a straight-up bad guy who was killing people willy-nilly."

He says Rogen and Gondry "had a different take on the character" and there wasn't enough time to develop the script.

"I had to have some humanity and to try to give it something where you could understand why the character was the way he was but I don't think there was enough time to develop it."

Forgive me while I lol. The guy with Ghost Rider 2 in development and two National Treasure movies in his filmography is concerned about the trappings of two-dimensional characters? When did Cage's desire for a character with some "humanity" suddenly start? I should probably give the guy a break. This is the best news about The Green Hornet I've heard in a long time.

The Green Hornet gets a new Kato

Looks like Kwon Sang-woo didn't get the part like earlier reports suggested he might. Instead Taiwanese actor Jay Chou will replace Stephen Chow to play Kato.

Chou is a classically trained singer-songwriter, and later made his way into acting in 2005 and has starred in a total of four films. He has also directed on film and over a dozen music videos. You might remember him as Prince Jai in Zhang Yimou's Curse of the Golden Flower.

Director Michel Gondry said of Chou:

"Jay is incredibly unique and charming and fights like a wild dog! When I filmed him next to Seth, they had such great chemistry, and I knew the movie will be great." [Deadline Hollywood via The Playlist]

Chou said:

“It’s an overwhelming experience to take on a role made famous by Bruce Lee. I won’t try to be Bruce Lee’s Kato – I will try to bring my own interpretation to the part. Of course, it’s a dream role, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.” [Deadline Hollywood via The Playlist]

Like I said before I only care about this film because of Kato, so it's a relief they've found a replacement for Stephen Chow.

Who is the new Kato?

The only reason I care about the upcoming Green Hornet movie is because of the Green Hornet's sidekick, Kato. I could care less about Seth Rogen. If he turns out to great I'll eat my words. Anyway, Stephen Chow had originally been cast as Kato, but dropped out a few weeks ago. Now, according to The Playlist some Asian news outlets have announced that Korean actor Kwon Sang-woo is in talks to step in and take the part.

Admittedly I've never seen him in anything, but Kwon has done martial arts in movies before (Volcano High, Once Upon a Time in High School), and he had a good audition for the role. If Kwon is cast then "this would make the third Korean heartthrob, following Lee Byeong-Heon and his role in G.I. Joe and Rain in Ninja Assassin, to take a stab at Hollywood this year." [Twitch]

I was pretty disappointed when Stephen Chow dropped out because he was the only draw for me. Sorry, even though I can sometimes be a Seth Rogen apologist, he does actually annoy me from time to time, and I don't like any films Michel Gondry has directed (this includes Eternal Sunshine). There, I said it. Now though, there isn't any time for disappointment. The Green Hornet is set for a July 2010 release so they better cast Kato like yesterday.