Kevin Smith (Jersey Girl) will write and direct The Green Hornet for Miramax Films, reports Variety. Smith expects to have a script ready in time to begin shooting scenes of the masked Hornet and his kung-fu-fighting chauffeur, Kato, by late summer. The film will be based on the venerable character created by Fran Striker and George Trendle for a radio serial that launched in 1936.

"I dig the fact that he kicked off a run of billionaire playboys who decided to put on a mask and fight crime, and that he was Batman before there was a Batman," said Smith.

While he never thought he would make a superhero film, Smith made an exception for The Green Hornet, for several reasons. Among them is the fact that the character has high name recognition but isn't shackled by the storyline, says the trade. Most people remember the title character and Kato, but cannot name their adversaries or even recall the tricked-out car they drove. For Smith, that leaves plenty of room for imagination.

"I always said I'd never do one, based on my limited experience writing on 'Superman' and having to answer to the studio, the producer, the comics company and eventually a director," Smith said. "Then there's a fandom that gets up in arms if you even try to stray from their character. Here, there is simplicity in the character and the situation.

"Equally important, the only person I have to answer to is Harvey [Weinstein], with whom I've made four movies. This is the only circumstance that led me to take on a comicbook movie, and something so big."

Smith hasn't gotten to the casting stage yet, but said he was intrigued by both actors who were linked to the film while it was at Universal. George Clooney had a pay-or-play deal for the title character before Steven Spielberg extricated him to star in DreamWorks' first drama, The Peacemaker. Jet Li once was linked to the role of Kato.