Pics of Gondry, Rogen & Chow looking serious since their Green Hornet movie probably won't be.

If director Michel Gondry isn’t a household name in America already, that just might change with this bit of movie news. Columbia has ok’d the Brooklynite Frenchman to direct The Green Hornet, which has Seth Rogen in the title role and Stephen Chow as sidekick Kato. Gondry previously directed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, wrote/directed Be Kind, Rewind and much heartfelt The Science of Sleep.
Since the script is written by Rogen and laugh buddy Evan Goldberg, it seems very likely the flick will go in a comedic direction that would upset some die-hard fans of classic Hornet. Gondry is yet another quirk into what is shaping up to become a kind of tongue-in-cheek production. Already I expect scenes of a wheezing Rogen in green tights – resting to catch a breath in between crime-fighting – and sidekick Chow with outlandish martial arts moves (à la Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle). Gondry’s directorial touch will most likely be in the visual areas, though I’m curious what narrative experiments he’ll slip through — especially since Variety notes that Gondry “got the job after presenting a vision that wowed” the production team.

Columbia’s The Green Hornet is set for a June 25, 2010 release.

• via Variety and The Hollywood Reporter