Jay Chou has been picked to play Kato, the Green Hornet's sidekick (literally), in a remake of the movie that originally co-starred Bruce Lee. The "King of Mandopop" will partner up with Seth Rogan in the title role, while Cameron Diaz is the love interest and Michel Gondry takes the director's helm. Chou replaces Stephen Chow, who walked away from the project in April citing "artistic differences." Though critics claim Chou can't act or perform martial arts, Gondry went on record saying: "Jay is incredibly unique and charming and fights like a wild dog!"

Also keen to step into Lee's slippers is Korean singer Rain, who has been picked to play the legend in a remake of his 1973 calling card "Enter the Dragon." Provisionally re-titled "Awaken the Dragon," Rain will play a Shaolin monk chased by FBI officers. While the knockers say Rain can't act or fight, studio heads were convinced he can by his role in the upcoming "Ninja Assassin."

So, will it be Chou or Rain who breaks the glass ceiling and becomes the first (with apologies to Jackie Chan) Asian male lead in Tinseltown? It's about time, there have been enough snubs. Most famous, perhaps, was the substitution of Lee with David Carradine for the hit '70s show "Kungfu." More recently, Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will become "Asians" in cult Japan anime Akira; while Asian-American MIT students were recast as white students in last year's movie "21."

Asian actresses seem to have less trouble getting an open arms welcome in Hollywood, given the examples of Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi - who obviously gets a little help from her friend, billionaire film financier Vivi Nevo.

(China Daily August 14, 2009)