Stephen Chow's involvement in The Green Hornet has suffered the death of a thousand cuts - ok, two cuts - when first he gave up directing duties and now, reports Spoiler TV, he's also dropped out of playing Kato in Michael Gondry's superhero reboot.
Chow was due to play the role originally made famous by Bruce Lee in the '60s TV series: chauffeur by day, martial arts crime-fighter by night, Kato is the indispensible sidekick to Seth Rogan's newspaper tycoon/vigilante Britt Reid.
No word as to the whys and wherefores of Chow's withdrawal, but according to a statement released by Sony and quoted by Variety, the decision was amicable. "We remain fully committed to Michel Gondry's exciting vision for the film," says the studio. "We are out now to cast a new Kato." Hear that? CVs to Sony, people.
The Green Hornet is out in the US on July 10, 2010.