[KuYA II]

Spielberg and Smith plot Oldboy remake
<h2 id="stand-first">Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are in early talks to rework Park Chan-wook's 2003 stomach-churning horror thriller</h2>

• Ben Child
• guardian.co.uk, Friday November 7 2008 10.04 GMT
• Article history

A hit at Cannes ... a scene from Park Chan-wook's Oldboy (2003)

Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are planning to collaborate on a remake of Park Chan-wook's Oldboy, according to Variety. The pair, who have been looking for a project to work on together for some time, are said to be in early discussions about reworking the acclaimed Korean thriller, which centres on a man who is kidnapped and held in a dirty cell for 15 years without explanation.

Smith would play the imprisoned man - Choi Min-sik in the 2003 original - who is freed just as he is about to put an escape plan into practice. He is given money, clothes and a mobile phone and sets out to discover who stole his life from him in order to take revenge.

A direct remake would seem to be particularly dark territory for both Spielberg and Smith, as the original contains a number of family-unfriendly themes and sequences, such as the famous live octopus sushi scene. Spielberg is currently said to be searching for a writer.

The original Oldboy was a huge favourite of Quentin Tarantino, who tried to persuade his fellow Cannes jurists to award it the Palme d'Or in 2004. In the end they plumped for the safer territory of Fahrenheit 9/11. It remains to be seen whether Smith and Spielberg will end up making a similar decision.

source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/nov/07...h-oldboy-remake

[luna81]

I can't see Americans doing an incest storyline. They'll probably dilute it a lot and it won't be anything like the original. I don't hate remakes like a lot of people here, but i can't see this one working out.

[splendidlure]

Ughh. I wish people wouldn't be too lazy to watch the original & read the subtitles. Instead, they need remakes. This goes for any country.

Old boy was a classic. I don't know anyone who didn't like the movie. Can't see Will Smith in this movie. He's too wholesome to act out the incest thing. Don't think he's ever been included in any controversy in his career.

[lampshade]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

[The Fey]

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

NO NO NO ARGHHHH >=-(

[krit]

hollywood should just give it a rest and try to look within the US for talented writers. So scared of losing out on profits.

[ANJEE<3]

i can totally see will smith pulling it off

[TygrrLilly]

Geez, they should just promote the heck out of the original and do a wide-spread release (I know it had a limited release in the US back in the day, I saw it in a theater in the States).

The film is just ridiculously solid as is- any adaptations or sugar-coating would ruin it.

[fantasian]

i dont think smith suits the role.

Choi min sik was brilliant in the original, he played the sick, twisted, hateful oh dae su really well. Don't get me wrong, i love Will Smith, but this dark role doesnt really match with his personality. He's always been the charming, funny, loveable one.

And i agree, if it was remade it would be toned down alot. I cant see Will Smith eating a real live octopus. And the incestuous plot would be taboo and 'sick' for audiences to accept.

[yienyienyien]

^ same. I cannot see how Will Smith can play dae su's role.

Also, this film is very twisted...I doubt they would go with the original plot, they'll probably change it here and there to suit the americans... They should just leave the movie alone as it is.

[derrek]

Ugh, I wish it was left alone. Always trying to capitalize on successes... oh well, at least they can never destroy the original

[HeffyEnd]

I'll believe this when I see it.


And people, if it does happen this way, I'm sure it'll be a looooooooooot different from the original.

[EMPIRE]

i see like crazy sean penn.. maybe not will smith.

[rapunzel283]

The original is still the craziest movie I've ever seen. It was so messed up!!!

It'd have an R-rating surely, what with the incest and violence (the end scene with the begging... /)_(\...)
That's if it sticks to the original.

I'd probably still go see it... You never know

[colloquy]

I have no idea where people get the idea that all remakes are bad. o_O; The Departed was good.

Personally, I didn't think this movie was all that great in the first place... rather overrated IMO.

[ANJEE<3]

i really doubt they are going to add the octopus scene

[Happy_Day]

Um.. As much as I love Will Smith, I can't imagine him playing such a vengeful, twisted character.

And would he be able to stomach the octopus scene? =D

I really hope the remake doesn't cut out the incest part of the movie. Although it did disgust me for a while, that was the punch to the storyline that really left a deep impression on me. I don't think the U.S. movie-goers would be as open to it as the Korean movie-goers. In some ways, the U.S. audience is more critical about that kind of thing.

[NanaMun]

I "wtf?"d at the topic title, then "WTF!"d at who was remaking it. I love Spielberg and Will Smith alot, but this is....well...mad. The movie is saturated with so many things, from the actors to the cinematography, to make a remake would be butchering the original unless Spielberg just adapted the story and made it something completely new, including the title. I know imitation is the greatest form of flattery, but it can also be a limelight stealer, because I'm sure most of the people who would see the remake would ASSUME it is the original. I dunno. I'm a bit torn. If they go through with this, then I wish them luck and we'll just have to see.

[sheart]

absolute bull. i read somewhere that theyre going to try to keep the plot in tact as much as they can. i dont see this happening well at all.

i dont understand why asian movies aren't released as they are (except kung fu type ones cause well, i dont think they can find many american actors who can do the stunts). the korean ones become really stupid love movies and the japanese ones become terrible horror flicks. someone tell me one good reason why asian movies can't just be released here besides americans not wanting to read subtitles or 'cultural differences'.

[DarkAngelInLove]

I trust Spielberg with this. He did well with Transformers.
And Will Smith is a talented actor. He will do well, too.