The Green Hornet and Kato Return
Clerks and Mallrats filmmaker Kevin Smith is teaming up with Peanuts owner WildBrain to develop a new Green Hornet animated series. This one will be aimed at a family-friendly crowd. In 2004, Miramax hired Smith to write a full-length screenplay; they eventually scrapped this and replaced it with one written by and starring Seth Rogen in 2011. This hasn’t dimmed Smith’s dedication to the superhero franchise, however; he turned his screenplay into a comic series published by Dynamite Entertainment in 2010.
According to Deadline, the new series will be “set in contemporary times, following the adventures of a re-imagined Green Hornet and Kato—now the grown son of the original Hornet and the daughter of the original Kato—as they partner to battle crime in Century City.”
Humble Beginnings
The Green Hornet started out as a radio series in the 1930s. Created by George W. Trendle, it told the story of Britt Reid, wealthy newspaper owner and publisher. “By day, Reid oversees his paper’s reporting on crime and injustice; but by night he dons his green mask and ventures across the city with his sidekick Kato to battle criminals and villains head-on.”
The 1966 live-action series actually introduced Bruce Lee to North America as Kato.
About the series, Kevin Smith said, “We’ll be telling a tale of two Hornets—past and future—that spans generations and draws inspiration from a lifetime spent watching classic cartoons and amazing animation like Batman: The Animated Series, Heavy Metal, and Super Friends.”
Additionally, Executive Vice President of Content and Current Series at WildBrain Stephanie Betts had this to say. “With his ingenious talent and passion for superheroes and classic franchises, Kevin [Smith] is the perfect creator to update the Green Hornet. We’re excited to share the new Green Hornet and Kato with audiences worldwide.”
