The New York Times recently ran a piece on the long road to development for The Green Hornet, and aside from the fact that the writer at one point used the word “bromantic” (f*cking clean it up, NY Times), there were some interesting tidbits. Like Nic Cage wanting to play the villain with a Jamaican accent, but we’ll get to that.
“The Green Hornet” languished in development until 1997, when the French music video wizard Michel Gondry [who once painted me a tranny with a bottle in its butt -Ed] was hired for what was to be his feature film directorial debut. Though the lead was offered to Mark Wahlberg, Mr. Gondry said his first choice was Vince Vaughn.
Mr. Gondry and the “Robocop” screenwriter Edward Neumeier reimagined the story as a futuristic fantasy. “Our villain ate human hearts,” Mr. Gondry recalled. Their villain met his end after swallowing a pacemaker. “The Green Hornet killed him with a microwave oven,” said Mr. Gondry. “The studio said it had ‘creative differences’ with us, so the film was shelved.”
Then the studio wanted Kung Fu Hustle‘s Steven Chow to direct, but that didn’t work out either:
Mr. Rogen and his frequent writing collaborator Evan Goldberg hopped aboard in 2007, drafting their own script when Columbia picked up the option. Hong Kong’s Chow was recruited to direct, but he too had creative differences.
“Stephen wanted Kato to implant a microchip in Britt’s brain and control him with a joystick,” Mr. Rogen said. “Maybe they’re doing that in China, and I’m not aware of it. I don’t read the newspapers as much as I should.”
Rogen later stretched his face back, adding, “Oh rooky heel, me rikey video game!”
Anyway, I know you came here for crazy Nic Cage stories, so…
Mr. Gondry loved the new Britt, who reminded him of an incompetent bass player in his brother’s old ska band, Coup d’Etat au Benin. “They seem totally useless,” he said, “but without them around, nothing works.”
But the director was unable to work with Nicolas Cage, the film’s original villain. For reasons known only to him, he insisted on using a Jamaican accent.
“I was quite relieved when he announced he no longer wanted the part,” Mr. Gondry said. [NY Times]
I like how if Nic Cage wants to do something, everyone else in the movie is powerless to stop him. I bet there’s a production assistant whose entire job consists of following Nic Cage around and trying to keep him from having crazy ideas. “What? All I did was rent True Romance for him to show him what an awesome villain Gary Oldman was and… I’m fired, aren’t I.”