Variety reports the director—an unabashedly quirky filmmaker whose lo-fi, kinetic visual flourishes have influenced everything from Coke commercials to Oscar opening numbers—will be taking over. What does that portend for the project? Look for Hornet to sacrifice Chow's jokey, action-heavy Hong Kong cinema aesthetic, replaced instead by Gondry's decidedly more meta flights of fancy. His touch could ultimately prove to make all the difference in bringing some of the script's more static scenes alive, however, such as when the Hornet kicks back with a bowl of Funyuns next to bong-hogging sidekick Kato, the two unmotivated crime-fighters giggling hysterically at a Sweded version of their own misadventures.

• Michel Gondry set for 'Green Hornet' [Variety]

Drew McWeeny at Hitflix had alleged that in the wake of director Stephen Chow leaving the film, several Sony sources had confirmed that Hornet had been permanently swatted. Rogen, however, wasn't pleased by the rumor that he had shed all his pounds for a project in turnaround. McWeeny recounts what happened next:

I had sourced the article from several directions, but there was one person I hadn't spoken to when I published, and that was Seth Rogen.

Let's just say he wasn't pleased. And he has a very different take on things.

"'The Green Hornet' has many people working for it, including production designers, costume designers and many conceptual artists, office staff, etc.," he said during our e-mail exchange back and forth. "[The studio heads] have every intention on making it, and assuming we're able to hire a new director in the upcoming weeks, which seems like a distinct possibilty, it should still hit the release date."

Otherwise: aborted wrap party at Fatburger's! Apatow's paying.

• Seth Rogen Says 'Hornet' Still Has Wings [Hitflix]

Says Drew McWeeny:

Ever since [costar/director] Stephen Chow started to waffle about his participation in the film, I've been hearing rumors that there were major hesitations at Sony. Then at Sundance, I heard several people say that the film was off completely. I spoke this afternoon with a source close to the film, and while they didn't call it completely dead, they did say it is "highly unlikely" that the film will shoot in 2009 at all.

Too bad Rogen didn't lock down all the necessary Hornet talent before he started eschewing cheeseburgers for lettuce slices and cross-training. Still, there is one potential save: time to swathe Katherine Heigl in latex for a role-reversal sequel to Knocked Up!

• Has Rogen's 'Green Hornet' Been Defeated? [Hitflix]

· HBO has gone on a buying spree, picking up two more comedies—How to Make It in America, and Bored to Death, a hipster-noir starring Jason Schwartzman—hot on the heels of their Hung order. Cocaine Cowboys, meanwhile, from Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay, got a greenlight. There's a joke about coke-dick in there somewhere, but we were raised better than that. [THR]
· Are you going into Cheno-withdrawal anticipating the final Pushed Daisy? She's already lined up her next TV gig: co-starring in David E. Kelley's new NBC drama, Legally Mad. She plays Skippy Pylon, "a brilliant but not entirely well attorney who is relentlessly cheerful with flashes of psychosis and often is mistaken for a teenager." We've always thought Gloria Allred: The Early Years would make a great drama, and now we're justified.
· The Newlywed Game has been resurrected by GSN, offering a "modern take" on the whoopie-making-quiz classic. Don't worry, gay-marrieds. We have a feeling there's a place for you at this table, too. [THR]
· Allen Shapiro has plunked down $255 million for the TV Guide Network, which has "The Lisa Rinna Show" and "ponzi scheme" written all over it. [Variety]
· Kung Fu Hustle director Stephen Chow has dropped out as The Green Hornet's director "over creative differences," but will still play Kato. [Variety]