Screen Rant » oldboy

‘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 24, ...

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Clive Owen Offered ‘Oldboy’ Villain Role?

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

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 in such unorthodox fashion.

While Firth recently confirmed that he was ...

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‘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 form ...

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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 yeah ...

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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 that ...

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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 on ...

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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 films, ...

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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 release ...

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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 shortlisted ...

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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 script ...

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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 of ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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‘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 ...

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Mid-Week Movie News Wrap Up – Jan. 29, 2009

Niall Browne — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:45:17 +0000

It’s that time again – you know when you catch up on film news that you might have missed.

This week:

Neil Marshall is a Centurion; John Orloff helps create James Bond and Smith backs away from Oldboy.

1. Brit director Neil Marshall (Doomsday and Dog Soldiers) will direct Centurion, a sword and sandals epic set in Britain.

According to The Hollywood Reporter:

“The movie, billed as a thriller set during the Roman invasion of Britain in A.D. 117, tells the story of Quintus Dias, sole survivor of a Pictish raid on a Roman frontier fort, who marches north with General Virilus’ legendary Ninth Legion, under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the Earth and destroy their leader, Gorlacon.”

300‘s Michael Fassbender, The Wire’s Dominic West and Quantum of Solace’s Olga Kurylenko will star.

Sounds like it should be good.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

2. John Orloff the writer behind real life Angelina Jolie starrer A ...

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: November 30, 2008

Niall Browne — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:33:55 +0000

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving. This weekend the news wrap up features:

What hit the top of the box office; Oldboy gets a scriptwriter; Genesis: Apes is real; there will be a New Moon in March and Hugh Jackman discusses the end of Wolverine.

Box Office

The box office was dominated by Four Christmases over the Thanksgiving weekend. The Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon film should bank about $46 million over the five day weekend. Ho Ho Ho!

Last week’s number one film – Twilight dropped one place this week, but should manage another $40 million over the five days.

Animated Disney effort Bolt should bark up another $35 million over the weekend, while Quantum of Solace should manage another $30 million over the five days.

Baz Lurhmann’s 3 hour epic Australia underperformed with a five day weekend take of just $20 million. The Hugh Jackman – Nicole Kidman film cost $140 million to produce, ...

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: November 9, 2008

Niall Browne — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:49:29 +0000

It’s Sunday so that can only mean one thing – The Weekend Movie News Wrap Up!

This week:

John Landis robs with graves with Burke and Hare; Spielberg and Will Smith eye Oldboy; Tom Hanks doesn’t take The Road To Purgatory; we can expect another 30 Days of Night and Carpenter and Cage think that it’s a Riot that they are no longer Scared Straight. Also there is the usual Box Office break down.

Box Office

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa ruled the weekend with an estimated $60 million, beating its predecessor which managed to make $47 million back in 2005. Man, family movies are making so much money these days (like when have they never?).

The runner-up spot goes to Role Models starring Seann William Scott and Paul Rudd. The film was predicted to gross around $11 million over the weekend, but instead it should make somewhere between $17-19 million. Kevin Smith must be ...

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