Leigh Whannell may direct Universal’s “The Green Hornet and Kato”

• Leigh Whannell is negotiating to direct “The Green Hornet and Kato” for a Hollywood company.
• David Koepp, who wrote the screenplay, is known for writing blockbusters like “Jurassic Park” and “Spider-Man”.
• Bruce Lee made his US debut as newspaper publisher Britt Reid’s sidekick Kato in 1966 TV series.

Leigh Whannell, the filmmaker of “The Invisible Man,” is negotiating to direct “The Green Hornet and Kato” for a Hollywood company. If the movie moves forward, David Koepp, who wrote the screenplay and is known for writing blockbusters like “Jurassic Park,” “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” “Carlito’s Way,” “Mission: Impossible,” and “Spider-Man,” will helm Whannell.

After co-founders Michael Helfant and Bradley Gallo won ownership of the movie series from the family of the character’s original inventor George W. Trendle in a heated bidding fight, Universal optioned rights to “The Green Hornet” from Amasia in 2020.

Read more: Cary Elwes is “recovering well” in hospital after being bitten by rattlesnake

The radio programme “The Green Hornet” first debuted in the 1930s and was centred on the newspaper publisher and vigilante Britt Reid.

Reid transformed into The Green Hornet, a vigilante crime fighter sought after by the police and dreaded by the criminal underworld, armed with insider knowledge, cool weaponry, a supercar known as the Black Beauty, and coupled with his dependable assistant Kato.

Legendary martial artist Bruce Lee made his US debut as Reid’s sidekick Kato in a 1966 TV series based on the characters.

2011 saw the release of the final “Green Hornet” adaptation. Seth Rogen played Reid in the Michel Gondry-directed movie, while Jay Chou played Kato.

Read more: ‘The Invisible Man’ receives a hit response after it gained $28M at the box office

Elisabeth Moss and Oliver Jackson-Cohen star in Whannell’s most recent film, “The Invisible Man.” In contrast to its USD 7 million budget, the film grossed USD 142 million at the global box office. Insidious: Chapter 3 and Upgrade are among the other films he has directed.