With Spike Lee now officially locked to direct a US version of Oldboy the question nobody seems to have asked yet is what will provide the actual basis of this new version of the film. Many forget that Park Chan-Wook's South Korean film was itself an adaptation of a previous Japanese manga and so the question becomes which will provide the basis for the US film.
And the answer is both.
A source close to the production tells Twitch that writer Mark Protosevich is using both the Korean film and the Japanese book as reference points for his own script. While the previous film will have more of an influence on the Protosevich script the manga will definitely also be present. Beyond that we are also told that the approach here is not unlike that employed with The Departed, a film from the same producers which used characters and scenarios from the source material as a launching point while also jettisoning several key elements and events from the original film and working significant amounts of entirely new material into the mix. We're told roughly twenty percent of the Protosevich script is entirely new material.
So here's what to expect. Just as Park Chan-Wook took a central concept from the Japanese manga while radically re-envisioning parts to create something new, the goal here is not to create a slavish shot-for-shot remake but to take elements of the Park film combined with elements of the manga and completely re-envision and re-contextualize those to create a specifically American story around the same concepts and themes. Time will tell what that actually looks like on screen.
And the answer is both.
A source close to the production tells Twitch that writer Mark Protosevich is using both the Korean film and the Japanese book as reference points for his own script. While the previous film will have more of an influence on the Protosevich script the manga will definitely also be present. Beyond that we are also told that the approach here is not unlike that employed with The Departed, a film from the same producers which used characters and scenarios from the source material as a launching point while also jettisoning several key elements and events from the original film and working significant amounts of entirely new material into the mix. We're told roughly twenty percent of the Protosevich script is entirely new material.
So here's what to expect. Just as Park Chan-Wook took a central concept from the Japanese manga while radically re-envisioning parts to create something new, the goal here is not to create a slavish shot-for-shot remake but to take elements of the Park film combined with elements of the manga and completely re-envision and re-contextualize those to create a specifically American story around the same concepts and themes. Time will tell what that actually looks like on screen.
More from Oldboy
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- News: BREAKING: Clive Owen Offered Villain Role In Spike Lee's OLDBOY
- News: Colin Firth Turns Down Spike Lee's OLDBOY
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- News: Rooney Mara Says No To OLDBOY
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- News: CONFIRMED: Josh Brolin Is Spike Lee's OLDBOY
- News: Will Christian Bale Play The Villain In Spike Lee's OLDBOY?
- News: Mandate Wants Josh Brolin For Spike Lee's OLDBOY. Can He Fill Choi Min-Sik's Shoes?
- News: CONFIRMED: Spike Lee To Direct OLDBOY Remake
I miss the days of Fake Will Smith chastising the internet for mocking 'his decision' to take out the dark reveal in 'his version':
"Tsh. I feel bad for y'all that you need to have [dark reveal] to make a good film. I mean, really, y'all need help!"
There is so much context at Twitch I can't tell if this is simple, straight forward news item or if you are one diplomatic mofo, Todd. lol