'Green Hornet' Starts Production And Adds to the Cast

The day that many thought might never come has finally arrived. "The Green Hornet," for all the roadblocks and pitfalls it experienced along the way, has begun production.

According to an announcement by Columbia Pictures, the film has officially started production in Los Angeles, California.

The release date's change to December 17, 2010 is also confirmed by the press release, and while several long-rumored casting notes are also verified, there are some new additions as well.

In recent weeks, we’ve heard about several casting decisions for the Seth Rogen-starrer including that of Cameron Diaz, Edward James Olmos ("Battlestar Galactica") and Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou taking over the role as Green Hornet’s side-kick, Kato. More recently, there’s been two more additions to the growing cast of talented and recognizable stars: Tom Wilkinson and David Harbour.

The official press release is as follows:

"CULVER CITY, Calif., September 2, 2009 - A classic character of film, television, radio and comic books returns to the big screen in Columbia Pictures’ feature film 'The Green Hornet,' starring Seth Rogen ('Superbad,' 'Knocked Up') as the vigilante crime-fighter. Production is underway on the Michel Gondry ('Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind') helmed film, which is produced by Neal H. Moritz ('I Am Legend,' 'The Fast and the Furious') and executive produced by Michael Grillo ('The Accidental Tourist'), Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg ('Superbad,' 'Pineapple Express'), Ori Marmur ('Evan Almighty') and George W. Trendle, Jr. The screenplay is by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg, based upon 'The Green Hornet' radio series created by George W. Trendle and shoots entirely in Los Angeles. The film is set for release December 17, 2010.

In addition to Rogen, the film also stars Taiwanese actor-pop star Jay Chou as Kato, Cameron Diaz ('Charlie’s Angels,' 'What Happens in Vegas'), Edward James Olmos ('Battlestar Galactica'), David Harbour ('Revolutionary Road') and Tom Wilkinson ('Valkyrie'). Nicolas Cage is also in negotiations to appear in the film.

Academy Award®-nominee John Schwartzman ('Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian') is the director of photography. Production designer is Owen Paterson ('The Matrix Revolutions'), Kym Barrett ('Speed Racer') serves as costume designer and Michael Tronick ('Mr. & Mrs. Smith') is editing."
Harbour is best known to genre fans for his role in "Quantum of Solace." Wilkinson, meanwhile, is no stranger to comic book fare, having played Gotham's local crime boss Carmine Falcone in "Batman Begins."

It looks like the film has a great cast now and might be able to sell itself during next year's holiday season fine. The good news is that the film has finally started production.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, MTV News, First Showing