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Is it me or has the search for The Green Hornet‘s Kato lasted longer than the eventual movie will in theaters?

At the very least the rumors have come to an end. Sony has officially announced that Taiwanese actor-singer-heartthrob Jay Chou has been cast as sidekick Kato to Seth Rogen’s Green Hornet.  Chou takes over for the previously attached Stephen Chow who dropped off the project after coming to his senses.

The Green Hornet is loosely based on the TV series from the sixties that featured a masked crime-fighting white man and his masked Asian ass-kicking chauffeur. The white guy takes all the crime fighting credit of course. The series starred Bruce Lee as Kato and Van Williams as his boss.  The new film version is co-written by Rogen and will be directed by Michel Gondry for release next summer.

Chou is extremely popular in Asian pop culture for his multiple chart-topping albums as well as a handful of films. If American audiences recognize him at all it will most likely be from The Curse of the Golden Flower and Initial D.  Any concerns over his ability to fill Lee’s tiny shoes should be quelled by Gondry’s strong claim that Chou is “incredibly unique and charming and fights like a wild dog!”

So are you finally excited for The Green Hornet?