Screen Rant » oldboy

Josh Brolin Talks ‘Old Boy’ Remake Compared to Korean Version

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 04 May 2012 00:37:15 +0000

Josh Brolin is currently out doing the media junket rounds for his starring role in Men in Black 3, but there are plenty of questions to be answered about a different project the actor is headlining: Spike Lee’s upcoming remake/re-interpretation of the manga (Japanese comic book) Old Boy, which was adapted into the hit 2003 Korean by director Chan-wook Park.

Park’s Oldboy has amassed a serious cult-following since its initial release, which is part of the reason why there has been such strong backlash ever since an American version of Old Boy was announced – and then, greater backlash when that news was followed up by the announcement that controversial director Spike Lee was helming the remake.

It seems that Brolin is aware of all the concern surrounding his new film, ...

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Sharlto Copley Confirmed as ‘Old Boy’ Villain & ‘Open Grave’ Lead

Kofi Outlaw — Tue, 01 May 2012 23:39:30 +0000

Sharlto Copley’s career has been on the ascent ever since District 9 propelled him into the limelight. The South African actor was a standout performer in an ensemble of impressive actors (and Rampage Jackson) starring in Joe Carnahan’s A-Team reboot, and District 9 already proved he can carry a film as a leading man.

That latter point is a fact that Apollo 18 director Gonzalo López-Gallego recognizes, as he has cast Copley in the lead role for his next film, Open Grave. The actor apparently also has what it takes to make a pretty convincing villain, because Spike Lee has tapped him to play that very role in his upcoming remake/re-interpretation of Old Boy.

We reported a few weeks back that Copley had been offered the Old Boy villain ...

Click to continue reading Sharlto Copley Confirmed as ‘Old Boy’ Villain & ‘Open Grave’ Lead

‘Old Boy’ Villain Role Goes to Sharlto Copley [Updated]

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:58:25 +0000

[It's Confirmed: Sharlto Copley will play the villain in Spike Lee's Oldboy.]

Spike Lee’s remake/re-interpretation of Old Boy continues to anger those who swear by Korean director Chan-wook Park’s version. Regardless of the hate from certain sectors, the American version of Old Boy continues to build an impressive cast, which already includes Men in Black III star Josh Brolin in the lead role, and Silent House‘s Elizabeth Olsen in the lead female role.

Today we have word on the third pivotal part of Old Boy: the villain that torments Brolin’s character in truly twisted ways.

For those who don’t know, Old Boy was a manga (comic) that become the 2003 hit Korean film. Both the comic and the film will be melded into Lee’s version, which is reset in America and will feature even more gruesome ...

Click to continue reading ‘Old Boy’ Villain Role Goes to Sharlto Copley [Updated]

Elizabeth Olsen Won’t Reveal ‘Old Boy’ Ending

Kofi Outlaw — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 21:00:26 +0000

You don’t hear people referring to actress Elizabeth Olsen as ‘the other Olsen sister’ much anymore. After an impressive breakout performance in last year’s indie darling Martha Marcy May Marlene, Olsen has a slate of upcoming films ready to hit theaters in 2012, starting with this weekend’s “single-shot” horror/thriller, Silent House.

The newbie starlet isn’t waiting on fame to just come, however; she’s already gearing up for a big 2013, including a starring role in Spike Lee’s Old Boy re-interpretation, which she is sworn not discuss in detail yet.

For those who don’t know: Old Boy is based on a manga comic that was adapted into a cult-classic 2003 Korean film by director Chan-wook Park. The story involves a man who is held captive in a room for fifteen years ...

Click to continue reading Elizabeth Olsen Won’t Reveal ‘Old Boy’ Ending

Elizabeth Olsen Offered Role in Spike Lee’s ‘Old Boy’

Sandy Schaefer — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:18:22 +0000

While it took less than two months for Spike Lee to snag leading man Josh Brolin for his Oldboy re-interpretation – which will reportedly retain the two-word title of the original manga (Old Boy) and not the tweaked name of Chan-wook Park’s 2003 adaptation, subsequent attempts to secure an esteemed actor and up-and-coming young actress to portray (respectively) the film’s twisted villain and kindly female lead, have proven to be far more difficult.

Such decorated leading men as Christian Bale, Colin Firth and Clive Owen have been approached to play Old Boy‘s antagonist, but ended up passing on the chance for various reasons. The same goes for youthful starlets like Rooney Mara and Mia Wasikowska, who were both offered the female lead role at some point (before they declined).

Twitch has broken ...

Click to continue reading Elizabeth Olsen Offered Role in Spike Lee’s ‘Old Boy’

‘Lone Ranger’ & ‘Oldboy’ Casting Updates

Sandy Schaefer — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 22:06:03 +0000

Director Gore Verbinski’s classic western adaptation, Lone Ranger, and filmmaker Spike Lee’s Americanized manga re-interpretation, Oldboy, are both vastly different, yet similarly-controversial projects. The former has irritated people because of its confusingly massive budget and deviations from traditional Ranger lore; the latter has managed to anger people by simply existing.

Both films are nonetheless well on their way to becoming realities, seeing how Lone Ranger has nearly completed casting, at this point – and Oldboy is expected to finish up pre-production soon, in order to start filming by Spring 2012.

Heat Vision has learned that James Frain has joined the Lone Ranger cast and will portray a tough foreman who works for the villainous railroad tycoon, Latham Cole (Tom Wilkinson). Frain’s resume includes a recurring stint as Paul Raines on ...

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Clive Owen Offered ‘Oldboy’ Villain Role [Updated]

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:39:39 +0000

[Update: Clive Owen has turned down the Oldboy villain role.]

While debate continues to rage about Spike Lee’s upcoming reinterpretation of the Oldboy manga (it’s not a remake, if we’re being technical), one thing is for sure: the film is shaping up to have an impressive cast.

A step was made in the right direction when it was revealed that Josh Brolin was signing on for the leading role of a man who is held captive in a room for 15 years. That promising bit of casting was made even sweeter by rumors that actors like Christian Bale or Colin Firth could sign-on to play the role of the Machiavellian captor who – upon releasing the captive man – gives his victim just 5 days to discover why he was punished ...

Click to continue reading Clive Owen Offered ‘Oldboy’ Villain Role [Updated]

‘Oldboy’ Producer Talks Remake Plot; Promises Darker Ending

Sandy Schaefer — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:53:37 +0000

One of the forces behind always-controversial filmmaker Spike Lee’s Americanized remake of Oldboy is producer Roy Lee: the man partly responsible for the onslaught of Holllywood reworkings of famous Japanese horror titles (see: The Ring, The Grudge, Dark Water, The Eye, Shutter, etc.) that have hit theaters over the past decade.

Roy Lee sat down with several movie news bloggers and journalists during a recent set visit to the currently-shooting thriller, 7500, and offered updates on some of his upcoming projects – including, information about the production timeline and ending of (Spike) Lee’s Oldboy.

Oldboy is the next project on Lee’s to-do list and the producer says that pre-production is expected to get going by January 2012, with principal photography set to commence two months later. He also clarified that the project will not be based in any ...

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Colin Firth Confirms He’s Up To Play ‘Oldboy’ Villain [UPDATED]

Sandy Schaefer — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:40:31 +0000

Some two weeks ago, word began circulating that Colin Firth had been offered the villain role in director Spike Lee’s Oldboy (semi-)remake. However, we here at Screen Rant refrained from reporting it, due to a Tweet from Variety’s Jeff Sneider indicating that the Oscar-winner being approached was really old news – and, more importantly, that Firth had all-but-officially passed on the part, by that point.

Firth was recently out promoting his new film, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (which hits U.S. theaters next month) when he touched on the Oldboy matter, revealing that his involvement is not a done deal, either way.

Here is what Firth told Collider, with regards to that matter:

“Well I don’t like to discuss things which are in a kind of early stage of—we’re not that closely acquainted with things, but ...

Click to continue reading Colin Firth Confirms He’s Up To Play ‘Oldboy’ Villain [UPDATED]

Rooney Mara Rumored To Star In Spike Lee’s ‘Oldboy’ [Updated]

Sandy Schaefer — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:06:49 +0000

There’s been an unrelenting amount of animosity expressed towards the Oldboy remake ever since the idea of reworking Park Chan-wook’s 2003 cult classic (itself a Japanese comic book adaptation) was raised.

Mandate Pictures has attempted to combat said negativity by recruiting some undeniably talented people – like controversial director Spike Lee and Oscar-nominated actor Josh Brolin – to work on the new Oldboy adaptation. The project would look all the more appealing if rumored candidate Christian Bale likewise signs on as the villain opposing Brolin’s vengeance-seeking protagonist.

Twitch is reporting that Rooney Mara is currently “being targeted” to play the female lead (renamed Marie) in Lee’s Oldboy adaptation. While this is strictly a rumor for the time being, it ought to be pointed out that Twitch was essentially the first site to report ...

Click to continue reading Rooney Mara Rumored To Star In Spike Lee’s ‘Oldboy’ [Updated]

Josh Brolin Is Spike Lee’s ‘Oldboy’

Sandy Schaefer — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:46:32 +0000

Feelings towards Spike Lee’s Oldboy project remain quite hostile, despite the recent news that Christian Bale is currently considering the film as his potential followup to The Dark Knight Rises.

Bale is eying the villain role in Lee’s Americanized take on Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s cult-classic (itself, an adaptation of a Japanese comic book). The lead role in the picture, however, has now officially been filled.

Deadline has learned that Academy Award-nominee Josh Brolin has signed on to headline Oldboy, which was finally rescued from development limbo when Lee signed on earlier this summer. Brolin will soon be working on Ruben Flesicher’s Gangster Squad; Oldboy looks to be the next project on his to-do list.

Chan-wook’s Oldboy told the macabre tale of Oh Dae-Su (played by Choi Min-sik), a man who is kidnapped ...

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Christian Bale Eying ‘Oldboy’, ‘Noah’, ‘A Star Is Born’, & More

Sandy Schaefer — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:29:40 +0000

Pretty much everybody wants Christian Bale to star in their movie – and once the Oscar-winner completes his work on The Dark Knight Rises, he will actually select his next role.

Just last week, there was word about Bale re-teaming with director Terrence Malick on his next film. That may still be the case, but the actor is reportedly eying some five additional projects.

According to the report from Variety, the one project that Bale was formerly attached to, but is no longer involved with, is The Last Photograph. It’s possible though that Sean Penn is still connected to that war drama, which looks to be Zack Snyder’s followup to his Superman reboot, Man of Steel.

Here, in no particular order, are the films that Bale is said to be circling right now:

Spike Lee’s ...

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Details On Spike Lee’s ‘Oldboy’: A ‘Departed’ Style Remake

Sandy Schaefer — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 19:47:06 +0000

Saying that the overall reaction to news of Spike Lee directing the Oldboy remake was a bit negative would be quite the understatement. To be fair, though, Hollywood’s plans to release a reworking of Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s cult classic revenge thriller (itself, based on a Japanese comic book) was poorly-received by fans from the get-go.

One of the most obvious examples that has already been cited as a counter-argument in favor of the Oldboy remake is Martin Scorsese’s multiple Oscar-winner, The Departed, which was an Americanized take on another cult classic piece of Asian cinema, Infernal Affairs.

Early reports indicate that Lee’s Oldboy will indeed go a route similar to that of The Departed. This revelation isn’t exactly shocking, since producers Roy Lee and Doug Davison worked (or will have worked) on both ...

Click to continue reading Details On Spike Lee’s ‘Oldboy’: A ‘Departed’ Style Remake

Spike Lee Directing ‘Oldboy’

Kofi Outlaw — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:33:40 +0000

Mandate Pictures has confirmed the previous reports that Spike Lee is directing the Oldboy remake. Around the Web, many fans of Park Chan-wook’s Korean-language adaptation of the Japanese comic book are already starting to voice their concern – or disdain – for both this particular choice in director, and the fact that an Oldboy remake is happening at all.

So does having Spike Lee at the helm of a remake of a cult-classic foreign film spell doom? Or might Lee surprise all of his doubters?

Right now there aren’t enough details to say for sure whether this remake is a going to be a stillborn babe, or perhaps a new and refreshingly original approach to the material. All we have to go on is the brief press ...

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Spike Lee In Talks To Helm ‘Oldboy’ Remake [Update]

Sandy Schaefer — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 13:35:42 +0000

[Update: Spike Lee has been confirmed as the director of the Oldboy remake. Click Link for Details.]

No stranger to controversy or handling provocative subject matter, Spike Lee may have found his next directorial effort in the form of Mandate’s Oldboy remake.

This new comes just within a week of Lee’s discussion with THR about how the Oscar-nominated filmmaker has been unable to get a directing project going for some three years now, ever since his war drama Miracle at St. Anna was a critical and financial dud back in 2008.

Rumblings about a remake of Korean director Park Chan-wook 2003 Oldboy movie (which was based on the Japanese comic book by Nobuaki Minegishi) has been ongoing for years now. Just last year, Oscar-winners like Steven Spielberg and Danny Boyle were ...

Click to continue reading Spike Lee In Talks To Helm ‘Oldboy’ Remake [Update]

Spielberg, Vaughn & Boyle on Shortlist To Direct ‘Oldboy’ Remake

Ross Miller — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:26:24 +0000

One of the many dreaded remakes on the Hollywood slate is of the 2003 Korean masterpiece Oldboy, from acclaimed international director Park Chan-Wook.

Steven Spielberg and Will Smith – two of the biggest players in the directing and acting business respectively - were once linked to the remake. But a complicated series of legal troubles arose last year and DreamWorks apparently walked away from the project which made the possibility of Spielberg directing highly unlikely.

The last (and supposedly final) word we heard on the Oldboy remake was that it was dead in the water. Now it’s reportedly been given the kiss of life.

According to a Tweet from Pajiba, the Oldboy remake is gaining steam once again with three big-name directors being eyed for the director’s chair. Word is that a ...

Click to continue reading Spielberg, Vaughn & Boyle on Shortlist To Direct ‘Oldboy’ Remake

Warner Bros. Remaking ‘Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance’

Ross Miller — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:58:41 +0000

Fans of Asian cinema will probably remember hearing the news awhile back that Chan-wook Park’s Korean masterpiece, Oldboy, was getting a remake, with Steven Spielberg as the director and Will Smith as the star, no less. The project went along for some time but thankfully we eventually got word that Spielberg and Smith’s the Oldboy remake was dead in the water, reportedly because “the big guns” in the deal – i.e. Dreamworks (where Mr. Spielberg resides) – walked away from the table because they and studio Mandate couldn’t see eye-to-eye.

A sigh of relief for Asian film fans everywhere, right?

Well everything might be fine on the Oldboy front, but now we learn that Hollywood has targeted a close friend of that movie – yes, that’s right, a remake of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is on its way, courtesy ...

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Steven Spielberg & Will Smith ‘Oldboy’ Remake Dead!

Ross Miller — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:08:44 +0000

I think just about every fan of Park Chan-wook’s 2003 Korean masterpiece, Oldboy, can breathe a lot easier now and for the foreseeable future. Back in July we told you that an Oldboy remake (or new adaptation of the source comics) directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Will Smith was sadly back still in development. A complicated mess of legal turns meant that any original troubles that may have hindered the project had disappeared, and at that time it looked like we’d all have to face a world where an Oldboy remake existed.

Well, not anymore!

According to a “trusted source” at Latino Review (and these guys are usually pretty spot-on when it comes to this sort of stuff), Spielberg and Smith’s Oldboy remake is firmly dead… on the ground… with its ...

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SR Pick [Video]: Milo Ventimiglia Reenacts ‘Oldboy’ Fight Scene

Ross Miller — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:02:34 +0000

One of the most popular Asian films of the last few years is Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy, the middle part of his Vengeance Trilogy (the first and third being Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance, respectively). I personally must have watched the movie at least 10 times, and it keeps getting better and better every time I watch it. A bona fide masterpiece IMO.

One of the most memorable scenes, not just of Oldboy itself but of any movie in the last decade, is the unbroken extended fight sequence in a dark hallway involving the main character and at least a dozen guys all attacking him at once. It’s an amazing, eyebrow raising sequence that’s unique to just about every other movie fight sequence I’ve seen.

On that note, our Screen Rant pick for today is of
Click to continue reading SR Pick [Video]: Milo Ventimiglia Reenacts ‘Oldboy’ Fight Scene

‘Oldboy’ Remake Status: Sadly Back On Track

Ross Miller — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:44:59 +0000

Here at Screen Rant we haven’t covered much of the American dreaded remake of the Korean masterpiece Oldboy, which has Steven Spielberg and Will Smith attached. But there’s be so much stuff going on behind-the-scenes with it that we thought you’d like to be updated on its status.

Word of Spielberg and Smith being attached (to direct and star, respectively) in a remake of Chan-wook Park’s Korean revenge flick first came about back in November of last year. At that time, Dreamworks was in the process of acquiring the rights and it looked like the unnecessary remake was fully on the way. But just recently the project hit a snag when legal troubles arose between Futabasha (the comic book company who published the original Oldboy manga) and Show East (the original Oldboy’s production company) over the ...

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