By Mark Pollard | Published February 3, 2009

Chinese media is reporting that Stephen Chow is considering writing and directing an unnamed Hollywood action/comedy starring himself and actor Jack Black. This is in addition to reports that Chow may yet star in a big screen update to THE GREEN HORNET (see article).

Black previously voiced the lead character in DreamWorks’ animated martial arts hit KUNG FU PANDA.

This unconfirmed report appeared in the “Oriental Morning Post” and cited Wei Dasen, a representative from Chow’s company.

Wei is quoted as saying, “It will be about a superhero, action-packed, special effects-rich, and of course funny.”

The newspaper said that sources close to Chow suggest that the film will be similar in style to his 2004 hit KUNG FU HUSTLE. That film was often liked to a live-action Looney Tunes cartoon.

Actress Ann Hathaway (GET SMART) has been named as a likely female lead.

Even if this news doesn’t pan out it suggests that behind the scenes there is intense effort being made on both sides of the Pacific to figure out some way to plug Chow into the Hollywood machine. He has been box office gold in Hong Kong for years and recent hits like SHAOLIN SOCCER and KUNG FU HUSTLE have proven that Chow’s brand of humor translates well to the Western market. With Chow continually being associated with directing a Hollywood movie, it’s more than likely that he is pushing to make sure that he doesn’t fall into the trap that some of his peers have, like Jackie Chan who ended up typecast in flimsy action comedies.

Source: China.org.cn

Related Topics:
Stephen Chow  •  upcoming