Jay Chou to play Kato in 'The Green Hornet'

Actor Jay Chou has officially signed on to star as Kato in Michel Gondry’s upcoming big-screen adventure "The Green Hornet," Columbia Pictures announced Friday.

“It’s an overwhelming experience to take on a role made famous by Bruce Lee," Chou said. "I won’t try to be Bruce Lee’s Kato – I will try to bring my own interpretation to the part."

Written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the film follows the adventures of Britt Reid, who inherits his dad's newspaper and fights crime as a masked hero at night.

Stephen Chow was originally set to play Kato, Reid's sidekick, but he recently dropped out. As for Chou, he's a celebrated pop artist in Taiwan. He also starred opposite Chow Yun-Fat and Gong Li in "The Curse of the Golden Flower."