Christoph Waltz To Play 'Green Hornet' Villain, Replaces Nicolas Cage

Source: splashpage.mtv.com

"Inglourious Basterds" actor Christoph Waltz, whose role as a Nazi in Quentin Tarantino's violent World War II-era film is expected to earn him an Oscar nod, is being rumored for part of the chief villain in Seth Rogen and Michel Gondry's "Green Hornet"—a role Nicolas Cage left behind just last week.

According to Deadline Hollywood, Waltz has been cast as Chudnofsky, the gangster who goes up against Green Hornet and his partner, Kato.

Back in July, Rogen described the character to MTV News as "scary," but "not over-the-top."

At the time, Cage was the leading candidate for the role, but talks broke down recently and the "Ghost Rider" star departed the project. No reason has been given for Cage's exit, but with filming already underway, it's no surprise the studio didn't delay in finding a new bad-guy actor to fill Cage's shoes.

So, with all of the principal characters cast, production in progress and a release date set, very little seems to stand in the way of "Green Hornet"—except for a little film called "Tron," that is.