Stephen Chow has bowed out of Sony's The Green Hornet, leaving the Columbia Pictures project to search for a new Kato, the sidekick of playboy-turned-vigilante Brit Reid, which is played by Seth Rogen.

According to Variety, sources said Chow left on amicable terms and had several other projects he wanted to pursue that didn't fit with "Hornet's" production schedule.

Michel Gondry is directing the film.

Chow had initially signed on to direct the film as well, but then opted just to play Kato, the role Bruce Lee took in the original 1960s TV show.

Character is Reid's chauffeur by day and Green Hornet's martial arts-skilled sidekick by night.

Production begins in September, with a release date set on July 9, 2010.