AceShowbiz -

It's time for the classic crime-fighting hero to get a big screen treatment. Columbia Pictures, through its presidents of production Matt Tolmach and Doug Belgrad, has announced on March 20 that it will transform the masked man's tale into a film feature.

Titled "The Green Hornet" just like the character's name, the picture will be produced by Original Film and Neal H. Moritz from whom Columbia optioned the film rights, which he had obtained from Green Hornet Inc. Meanwhile, Original's Ori Marmur will oversee development of the project on behalf of Moritz's production company.

"We have an enormous amount of passion and commitment to this character and are looking forward to developing 'The Green Hornet' into what we hope will be an amazing new franchise for the studio," so Tolmach said in a statement.

Created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, Green Hornet first appeared on January 31, 1936 on WXYZ Detroit to then be turned into several comic books and TV series for one season on ABC with Van Williams as the titular character. A skilled fighter and expert marksman, he uses two special, non-lethal guns to subdue criminals; one fires a potent knock-out gas while the other produces an electric shock called the "Hornet's Sting."