Seth Rogen gearing up for 'Hornet'

NEW YORK, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Canadian actor and writer Seth Rogen says he is working hard to prepare for his upcoming superhero role in "The Green Hornet."

"I hear he's been working out," Rogen's "Pineapple Express" co-star James Franco told reporters in New York recently.

"I keep telling him. He doesn't believe me, though," Rogen, sitting beside him, said with a laugh.

"It's so unnecessary, though, because they'll just give you a muscle suit," added Franco, who co-starred in the three recent "Spider-Man" movies.

"It's true," Rogen agreed. "But there are a lot of shots of me, like, coming out of pools in slow motion. There's, like, 13 shots of that, so that's why I'm working out so much. What can I tell you? (My writing partner Evan Goldberg and I) have written it. We're meeting with directors right now."

They are shooting for a June 2010 release, Rogen said.

Asked if he knows who will play Kato, his titular character's sidekick, in the new superhero flick, Rogen replied: "No, not right now. Until we hire a director, it's kind of hard to cast the entire thing."