That said, some re-interpretive adaptations DO work, especially when they tease out, amplify, and/or extend latent themes in the original source material. The Dark Knight and Iron Man are two good recent examples (though admittedly overused — sorry about that). The Dark Knight takes questions about vigilantism and the psychological state of Batman and his enemies that were already explored to a significant extent in the comics, and tied them with contemporary worries about terrorism and government response to terrorists to create a story that resonated with the original comic while also addressing today’s political issues. Iron Man’s original themes of Cold War military industrialism were likewise recast in the light of today’s new understanding of international relations and military conflicts (although the film cops out at the end by focusing on yet another lamely nefarious supervillain with no substantial motive or philosophy).

Hopefully Rogen and Goldberg can create just as rich a relationship between their exploration of the hero-sidekick relationship and the original series’ themes. I think that would kick ass, and they’re certainly capable of doing it.

Of course, this is all bullshit to some extent, because I know very little about the Green Hornet — so how would I know if what they did jived with the original series at all? Which is, I suppose, why they chose to seize that particular property rather than something with a larger and more rabid fan base. Hopefully I’ll get up to speed before this comes out.