Michel Gondry's first stab at a big-budget blockbuster, The Green Hornet , finally opens on Friday. I'm guessing more people know about the film's delays and production problems—from its unorthodox casting, to the studio's last-minute decision to convert the film to 3D, to the departure of one-time director Stephen Chow—than know who the Green Hornet even is.

But one key mystery about the film has, until now, remained unsolved: Why the film's original villain, Nicolas Motherfucking Cage, left the project. At long last, the New York Times has figured out why:

[Gondry] was unable to work with Nicolas Cage, the film’s original villain. For reasons known only to him, he insisted on using a Jamaican accent.

“I was quite relieved when he announced he no longer wanted the part,” Mr. Gondry said.

Yeah. That seems about right.