Spike Lee to direct English-language remake of Park Chan-Wook’s South Korean cult classic revenge film Oldboy (2003)

Well, despite countless concerns and even a failed attempt by Steven Spielberg and Will Smith to remake Park Chan-Wook’s Oldboy (2003), Hollywood will have its English-language remake – Spike Lee is now attached to direct the film of the same name.  It’s happening – fans of the original can only hope for the best now.

 Since the project was recently announced, not much else has been discussed.  Josh Brolin has been rumored for the lead role, but nothing is confirmed yet.  The English-language remake of Oldboy doesn’t have an official release date, but IMDB lists 2012, though this is highly unlikely considering the project has just been announced; then again, the recently announced Kathryn Bigelow-directed Untitled Bin Laden Thriller will have a hasty October 2012 release date, as I mention in an article FOUND HERE.

How the controversial director Lee will adapt the comic book (yes Oldboy was based on a comic book) is yet to be determined.  He could go the route he often chooses with an urban-centered tale or he could stick close to the source material and/or original film.  Again, not enough information has been discussed or released to launch an all-out campaign against the remake, or God forbid support it, so we should be patient and try and be optimistic about the film, since it will happen regardless, barring a miracle.

Oldboy follows a man who has been released into society after fifteen years of imprisonment by an unknown captor as he sets out to get his revenge.  However, he quickly discovers that his captor isn’t done with controlling him, as the unknown antagonist begins a cat-and-mouse game of his own.

If you haven’t seen the original South Korean film, then you absolutely must do so before the remake comes out.  Even if Hollywood wasn’t planning a remake, Oldboy is more than worth a viewing, as it has basically defined South Korean cinema since the new millennium and put the country’s cinema on the international stage.  In fact, the original film is not only worth numerous viewings but also requires it – the story, at least as portrayed by the South Koreans, is a brutal, mind-boggling tale of revenge with a twist or two that has never and may never be topped in film history.  Furthermore, it is simply one of the best revenge films ever made, regardless of its origin (though South Korean filmmakers tend to make amazing vengeance flicks, such as the recent Kim Jee-Woon-directed I Saw the Devil).  Though a word of caution is necessary before you see the original film – it is awfully gory at times and has a disturbing and perverse story underneath it all; it is not a film for the squeamish or unprepared as it clearly pushed the envelope in several ways, even for today’s post-Saw standards.  Nonetheless, it is a bizarrely beautiful, nearly perfect film full of depth and features an astounding lead performance by South Korean legend Min-sik Choi.

Extra trivia regarding two prominent South Korean filmmakers: Both Kim Jee-Woon and Park Chan-Wook will have their English-language debut soon with The Last Stand (2013) and Stoker (2012), respectively.  More on each of these productions can be found in casting news articles I recently posted found HERE and HERE.

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