by Sally Jackson
Fans looking forward to The Green Hornet were surely disappointed by the news last week that Nicolas Cage wasn’t going to be playing the villain in the Michael Gondry-directed film. Was this going to be the final nail in the coffin for the film, which had already suffered numerous other high-profile casting and direction losses, and had its’ date changed twice? Were we ever going to see Seth Rogen take on the persona of Britt Reid and his heroic alter-ego?

Well, it looks like we will, in fact. Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood Daily is reporting that Christopher Waltz (Inglorious Basterds) has signed to play the villain in The Green Hornet.

Waltz won a Best Actor at Cannes for his role as a Nazi in the Tarantino-directed Inglorious Basterds, and has been offered a number of significant roles by notable directors, so this is a big coup for Gondry, Rogen and the rest of the The Green Hornet crew.

I just got around to seeing Inglorious Basterds a week ago, and loved Waltz’s take on Col. Landa. He had a prefect mixture of charm and menace, creating a villainous character that you loved to hate. If he can bring that same blend to The Green Hornet, then the film will have a great villain to battle Rogen’s Hornet and Jay Chou’s Kato.

(Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily)