So first it was Colin Firth, and then there was Clive Owen. Both turned down playing the "villain" role in Spike Lee's remake of Oldboy, and the film has been in a standstill ever since. Well now they're taking another swing at it, making an offer to District 9 star Sharlto Copley.
Variety makes a note of saying that if Copley accepts, he'll be joining stars Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen. The latter one is news to me, as she was said to be up for the female lead back in February back, but has apparently confirmed in the meantime. They were having a hell of a time finding somebody to take it on, with Mia Wasikowska and Rooney Mara saying "Nuh uh, no way".
Copley makes for an odd choice, and frankly I don't see him in the role at all. Then again I'm basing this solely on how I remember the character in Park Chan-Wook's classic version. There are bound to be some tweaks in the script by Mark Protosevich, which may make Copley the right fit. We'll just have to wait and see.
