Sony doesn’t meet Nicolas Cage’s demands, exits ‘The Green Hornet’

Nicolas Cage has dropped out of negotiations for the Seth Rogen-quasi-not-sure-what-it’s-going-to-look-like-is-it-going-to-be-a-comedy-or-played-straight, big-screen adaptation of a ’60s TV show nobody watched, The Green Hornet.

According to Heat Vision Blog, Cage and Columbia/Sony Pictures couldn’t reach a deal which probably means Cage wanted Scrooge McDuck’s vault for his portrayal of shadowy crime figure Mr. X. As Cage returns to obscurity to ponder a sequel to Ghost Rider and a possible go at John Carpenter’s Riot, the good people on the set of Green Hornet wonder who the arch-nemesis will be.

Crazy Critics posted some images of the production showcasing Rogen, hot stuff Cameron Diaz and Jay Chou as Kato. With filming already underway and no word on who will be the villain, Sony will have to act with the quickness of a gazelle on crack to replace the now-absent Cage.

But perhaps the lack of a key character is not all that important at this stage of the production.

During the filming of Star Trek, the scenes featuring Nero (Eric Bana) were shot near the end of production. Since most of his appearances didn’t involve the film’s major characters, director J.J. Abrams was able to complete most of the film without him.