A new movie version of “The Green Hornet” may soon be in the works. Amasia Entertainment has won the film franchise rights to the superhero property, the studio announced on Wednesday.
Amasia co-founders Michael Helfant and Bradley Gallo won the rights in a bidding war after it had been previously held by Universal, Dimension Films, Sony and most recently, Paramount.
Helfant is a former president of Marvel Studios and has been passionate about the property for years dating back to the ’60s TV show starring Van Williams and Bruce Lee.
“When I was a kid, The Green Hornet was one of my favorite television series. I loved everything about it – The Green Hornet, Kato, and of course, the Black Beauty. They were the coolest! It was personally painful to leave them all behind when I left Dimension. So I tried to option the property again at Marvel before it went over to Sony, and then again in 2017 before the rights landed at Paramount,” Helfant said in a statement. “This is one of the only stand-alone classic superhero franchises,” Helfant said. “We’re a bunch of fan geeks at Amasia and are thrilled about creating something fresh and truly worthy of this legacy property. A new world that is relevant and thrilling, while respecting and honoring the original vision of creator George W. Trendle.”
“As long as I’ve known Michael, he has expressed his loving ‘nerdom’ for Green Hornet and passed on his addiction to me,” Gallo said in a statement. “I am looking forward to bridging the film worlds of America and Asia – and I’m very grateful to be on this journey with Michael, Amasia, the Green Hornet family and fellow fans!”
“On behalf of the family of George W Trendle and The Green Hornet, Inc., we are excited to be working with Amasia Entertainment to bring the legacy of The Green Hornet & Kato back to theatres,” Linda Trendle Hartle, president of The Green Hornet, Inc., said in a statement.
“The Green Hornet” was last adapted into a feature film in 2011 by Sony starring Seth Rogen and Jay Chou and directed by Michel Gondry. The film was a critical disappointment but grossed $227 million worldwide on a budget of $120 million.
The property originated as a radio show before being turned into a series of movie serials in the 1940s, and then most famously as something of a campy “Batman” copycat in the 1960s, though the series helped introduce Bruce Lee to American audiences.
The story focuses on Britt Reid, owner and publisher of The Daily Sentinel. Armed with knowledge from his sources, cool weapons, a supercar known as The Black Beauty, and teamed with his trusty aide Kato, Reid became The Green Hornet, a vigilante crime fighter wanted by the police and feared by the criminal world.
Amasia Entertainment is also executive producing “Dark Shadows: Reincarnation” at The CW. The company is currently in post-production on John Patrick Shanley’s “Wild Mountain Thyme” starring Emily Blunt, Jamie Dornan, Christoper Walken and Jon Hamm. Amasia also recently released “Them That Follow.”
The deal was negotiated on behalf of The Green Hornet, Inc. by David Grace of Loeb & Loeb.
12 Best Superhero Movies of the Decade, From 'Avengers' to 'Black Panther' to 'Joker' (Photos)
The past decade was defined by the rise of movies based on comics, and specifically superhero comics, as Hollywood's biggest success story. But while it's hard to remember now, before "The Avengers" firmly established the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a pop culture phenomenon in 2012, hugely successful movies about costumed heroes were considered outliers, not inevitabilities. And that's not even getting into the fact that as the 2010s began, the idea that audiences would flock to films that not only have shared continuities but require them to make sense was considered laughable.
Well, no one is laughing now (except Disney's accountants, probably). TheWrap takes a look at the 12 best superhero movies of the past decade.
12. "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"
Fans of the foundational comic book series, which debuted in 2004, may not see this as groundbreaking material; everyone else will. It's a ballsy mashup of imagery and rules of the universe that borrow from video games, TV sitcoms, Saturday morning cartoons, rock 'n' roll, anime, sci-fi/fantasy and yes, comic books.
11. "Man of Steel"
Christopher Nolan's realistic approach to superhero sagas and Zack Snyder's experience creating visually stunning action sequences made Clark Kent's return to the big-screen forget Bryan Singer's dismal 2006 "Superman Returns."
10. "Deadpool"
"Deadpool" is one of those movies that's all the more successful for how easily it could have gone so very wrong. It's suffused with an arch, self-aware wit -- its titular hero violates the fourth wall more than Groucho Marx, Bugs Bunny and Ambush Bug put together -- yet it takes its romance and revenge storylines just seriously enough to keep us engaged.
9. "Thor: Ragnarok"
New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi added his personal touch to the "Thor" franchise with this film, and made it fun and entertaining -- and the visual effects are never too much. The film should be lauded for its portrayal of women, as well as main characters, Thor and Loki. Even Hulk is hilarious in the film, and the character and plot arcs work in the third installment of the "Thor" franchise.
8. "Guardians of the Galaxy"
Take the Dirty Dozen, subtract the Magnificent Seven, and you'll roughly get the membership of "Guardians of the Galaxy," a surprisingly winning space-faring adventure with a group of Marvel Comics characters led by Chris Pratt in a breakout action-lead performance.
7. "Wonder Woman"
Gal Gadot's turn as Princess Diana of Themyscira was a refreshing standout amidst the sludge of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," and she's as good if not better headlining her own solo adventure. It's a film that not only improves upon many of the seemingly built-in shortcomings of superhero movies, but also mixes smarts, sentiment and adrenaline in the best Hollywood style. This is a superior popcorn movie, no matter what the genre.
6. "Joker"
"Joker" become the first movie with an R rating to gross $1 billion at the box office. That alone is enough to immortalize it in the comic book movie canon. But when compared to some of the big DC and Marvel tentpoles that have defined the movie ecosystem over the past few years, it's amazing how Gotham City's most infamous villain has beaten the superheroes at their own game.
5. "The Avengers"
Marvel Studios built it's cinematic universe over four years and five movies which culminated in the critically acclaimed and crowd pleasing 2012 release of "The Avengers." At the time a radical idea, Kevin Feige's master stroke put all the heroes from the previous Marvel Phase One movies into one big team up movie which conquered the world to the tune of $1.5 billion dollars at the box office.
4. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
The Russo brothers, who made their entrance to the MCU directing "Winter Soldier" before taking the reigns on "Civil War" and, eventually, 2018's "Avengers: Infinity War," really impressed with "Winter Soldier." It's a classic spy thriller with a superhero twist. And Robert Redford as the bad guy is a really nice touch. But what really pushes it to greatness is the way it just gets it. It gets people. It gets the world. It pushes the idea that you gotta do what you gotta do even when you know it's not gonna work out.
3. "Black Panther"
With beautiful cinematography and stunning costume design, "Black Panther" lives up to our expectations. And another thing the film does well: Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger is a fully fleshed-out villain for whom you also feel compassion at times.
2. "Logan"
James Mangold's small-scale western is a game changer for the entire superhero genre, daring to defy pretty much standard by which you expect these movies to operate. It's just a great movie by any normal standard.
1. "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"
The best superhero movies, and movies in general, are the ones that are truly most human. And "Spider-Verse," despite being animated, despite the wacky cast of Spider-People, despite the outlandish premise, is as real as movies get.
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Best of/Worst of 2019: “Wonder Woman” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” rank among the decade’s finest superhero movies
The past decade was defined by the rise of movies based on comics, and specifically superhero comics, as Hollywood's biggest success story. But while it's hard to remember now, before "The Avengers" firmly established the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a pop culture phenomenon in 2012, hugely successful movies about costumed heroes were considered outliers, not inevitabilities. And that's not even getting into the fact that as the 2010s began, the idea that audiences would flock to films that not only have shared continuities but require them to make sense was considered laughable.
Well, no one is laughing now (except Disney's accountants, probably). TheWrap takes a look at the 12 best superhero movies of the past decade.
