Kevin Smith and WildBrain join forces for new animated ‘Green Hornet’ series
Indie film legend and comic book connoisseur Kevin Smith has joined forces with leading independent kids’ content company WildBrain for the development of a new animated series based aimed at family audiences and based on the classic Green Hornet superhero franchise.
Chronicling the adventures of “a re-imagined Green Hornet and Kato” – the son and daughter respectively of the original duo – the new series will take place in Century City and feature a mix of established and contemporised franchise elements.
It’s an honor 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! 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.
-Kevin Smith
From its beginnings as a 1930s radio series, in the decades that have followed George W. Trendle’s The Green Hornet has spawned an array of comics, merchandise, features and the popular 1960s TV series, the latter remembered fondly for introducing Bruce Lee to North American audiences in the role of Kato.
We’re thrilled to embark on a new animated Green Hornet series with Kevin, who has set up an incredibly rich world with a cast of amazing characters – especially Kato, who is no longer just a sidekick, but is now a strong female partner to the Green Hornet. With his ingenious talent and passion for superheroes and classic franchises, Kevin is the perfect creator to update the Green Hornet. We’re excited to share the new Green Hornet and Kato with audiences worldwide.
-Stephanie Betts, EVP Content and Current Series at WildBrain
Having made his mark on the world of independent film with his enormously successful 1994 feature Clerks, Kevin Smith’s subsequent work includes the acclaimed films Chasing Amy and Dogma among his sprawling View Askewniverse and is a strong presence in the world of pop culture commentary on top of writing for comics including numerous Green Hornet and Kato comics for Dynamite Entertainment. Kevin discussed the announcement in an episode of his YouTube show Fatman Beyond that went up this week:
The Green Hornet, Kato and Black Beauty are trademarks of The Green Hornet, Inc., which is represented by David Grace of Loeb & Loeb LLP.