Despite his occasional gags about retirement – or people wising he would – Kevin Smith has been working consistently of late. He's adding another project to his list, signing on to develop a new Green Hornet animated series.
While there has been chatter recently about a newHornetmovie, this sounds like it's further along, as it has a story concept and characters already created. The re-imagined Hornet will be the son of the original, Britt Reid, working alongside the daughter of Kato. And far from being a sidekick, she'll be a proper co-lead with the hero. It'll be set in contemporary times and feature a high-tech take on their vehicle, the Black Beauty.
Smith has a history with the Hornet character, having written an unproduced script that he turned into a comicbook series. It's also not his first animated take on a classic property, as the He-Man series he's created will be on Netflix. "It’s an honour to escort the legendary Green Hornet and Kato into their very own animated series for the first time in the rich history of these iconic pop culture characters!" Smith enthuses. "We’ll be telling a tale of two Hornets – past and future – that spans generations and draws inspiration from a lifetime spent watching classic cartoons and amazing animation like Batman: The Animated Series, Heavy Metal, and Super Friends. I can’t believe WildBrain gave me this job and I can’t thank them enough for the opportunity to extend my childhood a little longer."