Kevin Smith Is Developing THE GREEN HORNET as an Animated Series

Kevin Smith is developing a new animated series based on the classic superhero franchise The Green Hornet. He has teamed up with kids producer WildBrain, who holds the rights to the Peanuts and Inspector Gadget.

Smith is a long time fan of The Green Hornet, and in 2004 he was hired to write a script for a film that was set up at Miramax. The project never happened and he ended up turning that screenplay into a comic book and wrote the first four-issue story arc of the series.

There was a movie made by Seth Rogen and director Michael Gondry that was released in 2011, but Smith didn’t have anything to do with that.

The series that Smith and WildBrain are developing will target a family audience, and the series will be set in contemporary times, “following the adventures of a reimagined Green Hornet and Kato – now the grown son of the original Green Hornet and the daughter of the original Kato – as they partner to battle crime in Century City. It will also feature the Green Hornet’s ultra-high-tech car, Black Beauty.”

WildBrain and Smith will start shopping the project around town to broadcasters and streamers. An animated series for The Green Hornet has a lot of promise, and I’m curious to see how it turns out. Smith said in a statement:

“It’s an honor to escort the legendary Green Hornet and Kato into their very own animated series for the first time in the rich history of these iconic pop culture characters. 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. I can’t believe WildBrain gave me this job and I can’t thank them enough for the opportunity to extend my childhood a little longer.”

Stephanie Betts, EVP Content and Current Series at WildBrain, added,

“We’re thrilled to embark on a new animated Green Hornet series with Kevin, who has set up an incredibly rich world with a cast of  amazing characters – especially Kato, who is no longer just a sidekick, but is now a strong female partner to the Green Hornet. With his ingenious talent and passion for superheroes and classic franchises, Kevin is the perfect creator to update the Green Hornet. We’re excited to share the new Green Hornet and Kato with audiences worldwide.”

The Green Hornet originated as a radio series created by George W. Trendle in the 1930s, telling the story of Britt Reid, the wealthy owner and publisher of the fictional newspaper The Daily Sentinel. 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.

There was also a classic 1966 live-action TV series, which introduced future martial arts superstar Bruce Lee to North American audiences as Kato.

Does this sound like an animated series you’d be excited about seeing?

Source: Deadline