Seth Rogen proclaimed the film was a "nightmare", chalking it up to studio executives paying little attention to the most expensive portions of the film, and its inflated budget.
Nicolas Cage was initially cast as Chudnofsky, but dropped out. He intended to play the role with a Jamaican accent, much to director Michel Gondry's dismay. In his book, Seth Rogen talks about meeting with Cage after the movie got made and Cage accused him of telling James Franco about his idea after seeing the movie Spring Breakers (2012).
After the rights to The Green Hornet property were purchased by Miramax in 2001, Kevin Smith was attached to write and direct the film in 2004, with Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead. The story had Britt Reid a.k.a. The Green Hornet, and Kato as old men in retirement, with Britt Reid, Jr. a.k.a. Green Hornet II (Gyllenhaal) and Kato's daughter donning their fathers' masks to combat a new evil. Smith pulled out of directing, due to an insecurity of directing with such a large budget. He stayed on as writer, and wrote two drafts, but with no further progress with the script, the rights were let go, and purchased by Columbia Pictures. Then, Seth Rogen, who had starred in Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008), became attached to star, and write a completely different screenplay. Smith's screenplay was adapted into a comic book miniseries, called "Green Hornet: Sins of the Father", published by Dynamite before the movie's release.
When Britt and Kato are watching themselves on the news, running away from vandalizing the statue, Kato does not see himself on-screen. He reasons he is "too fast for the camera". When Bruce Lee played Kato in The Green Hornet (1966), they filmed his fight scenes at a faster rate because he was "too fast for the camera".