Green Hornet: Nicolas Cage Came 'Really Close' To Playing The Villain

Seth Rogen says that Nicolas Cage came very nigh to play the villain in the 2011Green Hornetmovie . Rogen starred as Britt Reid aka . Green Hornet in the film , found on a script that he cowrote with his longtime partner Evan Goldberg . The movie ’s scoundrel was finally portrayed by Christoph Waltz , with Jay Chou costarring as the Hornet ’s highly skilled sidekick Kato and Cameron Diaz rounding out the independent cast as Reid ’s secretary , Lenore " Casey " Case .

engineer by Michel Gondry , Green Hornetearned lukewarm reviews and hold in $ 228 million at the global box office , against a $ 120 million budget . It ’s broadly agreed the pic has its inspired moments , but fight to blend Rogen and Golberg ’s earmark buddy action / funniness trend with Gondry ’s offbeat and surreal storytelling . If nothing else , the movie would have been even kookier had Cage been brought on to meet the villain … or more specifically , if Rogen and Goldberg had go along with Cage ’s idea for the role .

Related:Nicolas Cage Wants to Play The Joker

In an interview withVulture , Rogen support that Cage came"really close"to playing the villain inGreen Hornet . However , Cage want to play the character ( gangster Benjamin Chudnofsky ) as a"white Bahamian or Jamaican"and even demonstrate off his accent for the use to Rogen and his collaborator on the picture over dinner . While Rogen thought the accent was"good " , he admitted that was the rootage of the end for Cage ’s amour with the pic :

" [ I ] think he could so viscerally tell that we did n’t care the idea that he just pass on right in the heart of dinner party . He was just like , “ I got ta go . ” It was as if I just stood up right now with you and walked out . That ’s how sharp it was . Then he called me two days after that and say , “ I ’m get the sentiency that you do n’t need me in this movie . ” That ’s what happened . But God bless Nicolas Cage . I ’m a huge fan . "

Looking back , Green Hornetrepresents an interesting degree in the evolution of the superhero and comic Scripture genre . Shared universe had n’t take off yet ( this was pre - Avengers , after all ) , soGreen Hornetwas more standalone and ego - contained compare to most superhero films release today . studio apartment were still figure out much they want these movies to be filmmaker - drive then too , which is how the theater director ofEternal Sunshine of the Spotless MindandMood Indigowound up form on a $ 100 million moving-picture show about a costumed crime - fighter in the first seat ( to note nothing of Rogen ’s outside the loge throw as Britt Reid ) .

Waltz ’s portraying of Benjamin Chudnofsky as a villain who , in essence , has a mid - life crisis is alike something one would n’t expect to see in a mainstream superhero hoyden today . Cage ’s thought for the persona is even more out there , so it ’s not surprising that he was warm to realize the idea behindGreen Hornetweren’t necessarily all in on the conception . disregarding , this is another fascinating anecdote to tot up to the cumulation of story about would - be Nicolas Cage superhero projects , along with all the tales about his infamousabandonedSuperman Livesmovie .