UPDATE: MTV got to chat with Evan Goldberg, Michael Gondry and Seth Rogen about the film, which they revealed the parts they hav in mind for Cameron Diaz and Nicolas Cage:
“Lenore Case, would be her role,” Rogen said of Diaz, confirming that out of the several female leads in the “Green Hornet” radio, TV and movie incarnations over the last 70 years, the “Charlie’s Angels” star will be playing the character nicknamed “Casey.” “Assuming all the deals close, which it looks like they will.”Let's Roll Kato
“In the original show there was Britt Reid, Kato and Lenore Case their secretary,” explained Evan Goldberg, Rogen’s longtime writing/producing partner. “She was one of the only people who knew they were The Green Hornet and Kato. Cameron Diaz is a new development, we’re real excited, she plays a secretary for Britt Reid.”
As director Michael Gondry was quick to point out, however, their take on Casey will be quite different – including a Lois Lane-like obliviousness to GH’s identity, and an affinity for crime TV.
“The idea is that in the first episode -- let’s say that we’re going to do a lot of sequels -- in this story, she doesn’t know the identity of The Green Hornet yet,” explained the “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” filmmaker. “But I don’t want her to just be there, not doing much. She’s a crime specialist, a big fan of the forensics TV shows [like 'CSI'] ; there’s a flashback where she surprises her husband by discovering he’s cheating on her. She’s gone through all sorts of forensics evidence to prove that, and then she ends up seeing her husband having sex with his girlfriend in their bedroom. That’s how she starts [in ‘Green Hornet’], and then she goes back to work.”
Through her love for crime shows, Diaz’s character unwittingly masterminds the Green Hornet’s early missions.
“Basically, Kato and Britt have no idea how to become criminals. They want to be criminals -- that’s their way to fight crime -- to be criminals themselves,” revealed Gondry. “So they ask her what they should do, and she doesn’t know she’s talking to The Green Hornet, but she gives them indications by saying ‘I think the Hornet will do this and this,’ and then they go out and do what she said. Later on, she’ll say ‘See? I was right!’ And that’s the humor of her character."
"I think there is a very funny trio with Britt, Kato and Lenore," said Gondry. "She likes Kato better, which gets Britt a little mad. There is a good thing forming there in the story.”
According to Goldberg, Casey is one of several classic characters they’re bringing back. “We still need to cast the character Mike Axford -- the head editor of the paper -- then there’s District Attorney Frank Scanlon from the show. Their roles aren’t as big in our movie, but we tried to keep the names around.”
“We also tried to work with some of the villains of the show,” Goldberg said of the attempts that eventually put Nicolas Cage into the character of Chudnofsky, a gangster. “But that didn’t work out. Our main things are Britt Reid, Kato and Lenore.”
