Columbia Pictures says it is in talks with “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” director Michel Gondry to replace Hong Kong comedian Stephen Chow at the helm of its adaptation of “The Green Hornet.” Producer Neal Moritz said in a statement issued by the Hollywood studio Tuesday that the French filmmaker’s works are “as daring as they are extraordinary.” Chow was originally slated to direct and star as Kato in “The Green Hornet” alongside Seth Rogen, but said in December he backed out as director so he could work on a superhero comedy with Jack Black. The original series, which debuted on the radio in 1936, is about a newspaper publisher who moonlights as a masked crime-fighter along with his martial arts-expert sidekick.

Seth Rogen’s high-profile superhero movie has a brand-new director — one of the most distinctive visionaries in Hollywood — and the star can only use three words to describe how he’s feeling about it.

“It’s f—ing crazy!” he said when we spoke with him Tuesday, accentuating the point with his trademark laugh (which was imitated by Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard backstage at the Oscars).

His new “Green Hornet” collaborator is none other than Michel Gondry, the eye-popping auteur who gave us “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Be Kind Rewind,” and too many classic music videos to list here. Capping off an exhaustive search, the “Pineapple Express” funnyman said Gondry is the perfect director for his comedic take on the crime-fighting newspaper publisher who first slipped into his green mask in 1936.

“Me and [co-writer] Evan [Goldberg] have always been gigantic fans of [Gondry],” Rogen beamed. “We just like anyone who thinks outside the box, and there’s really nobody who thinks more outside the box then he does; he’s really a magician in a lot of ways.”

- from MTV

The official trailer for Judd Apatow’s Funny People courtesy of Moviefone.

Over the past few years, writer/director Judd Apatow (‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin,’ ‘Knocked Up’) has shown that nothing — not even losing your virginity or the miracle of childbirth — is sacred. About his third film behind the camera, he says, “I’m trying to make a very serious movie that is twice as funny as my other movies. Wish me luck!” Apatow directs Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann in ‘Funny People,’ the story of a famous comedian who has a near-death experience.

Adam Sandler, Eric Bana, Jason Schwartzman, RZA and newcomer Aubrey Plaza join a cast that reunites Judd Apatow with Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann and Jonah Hill in their third comedy together.

There’s been another change in the “Hornet” nest: Stephen Chow has dropped out as director of “The Green Hornet” but will still play Kato in Columbia Pictures’ latest bid to get the crimefighter to the bigscreen. Chow, who directed and starred in “Kung Fu Hustle” and “Shaolin Soccer,” signed in September to direct the film and play the role originated in the TV series by Bruce Lee. He stepped out as director over creative differences. The film was scripted by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and Rogen is starring as the masked crime fighter. The script will likely be polished, and a director could be in place by year’s end. – from Variety

Seth Rogen, who scripted the film with his writing partner Evan Goldberg, is still set to star in the title role. But how awkward will it be shooting the Hornet/Kato scenes now, one wonders? – from IGN

But just a few days earlier!!!….

“We are already having that conversation this week,” said Rogen, who insisted the Green Hornet filming won’t start until May. Rogen is co-writing the script with Evan Goldberg, and Chow has not yet relocated from Hong Kong to begin shooting. “The process has been very collaborative and very good,” Rogen said about the director. “He’s given us a lot of ideas. His English is, … well, we keep saying when we all come out of this, we will be great communicators. He’s made great strides, I will say. It presents its own challenges at times. We get along really, really well. We are really just starting the process; very little has actually been done. … We’re actually in the very preliminary stages right now.” – from Scifi