Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Green Hornet is moving its release date from December 22nd to Martin Luther King Weekend, which is January 14, 2011, so it can be converted into 3D. green-hornetSony is using the term “3D enhancements”. (Because no visual effects on the film have been done yet by Sony Imageworks, which is just getting into post-production on it. So the studio says it’s not a 3D conversion but an enhancement, and there’s already “great depth and scope” to the shots from director Michel Gondry, who has experience with 3D videos.) There have been rumors of problems with the comic book caper film, with some rival studios calling reporters to claim it’s unreleasable, but Sony Pictures Entertainment Vice-Chair and marketing/distribution kingpin Jeff Blake is denying. He says, if anything, Sony isn’t backing away from the film but, rather, “doubling down. We’re investing more in the film to have it 3D. We’ve seen part of the movie. We love it. We believe in it. Whoever is spreading these rumors has not seen it. We’re going to finish Green Hornet in 3D and take 9 months to do it right.”

He says the reason that MLK weekend was chosen is because the studio released Paul Blart: Mall Cop to a big number and now that date is lucky for everyone. Further, he says Sony wanted to steer clear from all the 3D films coming in the Christmas season, including Tron, Yogi Bear, Harry Potter, and Fox, which may make 3D conversions of its Gullivers Travels and its Narnia 3. “It is purely a capacity issue. There simply are not enough digital screens up and running within the theater system to juggle that number of titles.”