After deriding the planned remake of Park Chan-Wook's masterful revenge thriller, Oldboy
, my thoughts quickly changed when Spike Lee came aboard as director. Hey, if it's gonna go down, might as well have a director known for pushing boundaries, and Spike is definitely that guy. It wasn't long after that we heard the first whispers of possible casting, with Josh Brolin at the top of everybody's wishlist. Now more than a month later, we have our confirmation that Brolin will star in the film.The script will be written by Mark Protosevich, and will be based in part on the original manga and Chan-Wook's film. The film centers on a man mysteriously kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years without any clue as to why. Then just as randomly as the initial assault, he's set free, and discovers that the reasons for his kidnapping run deep. He of course goes off in search of answers and revenge. Oldboy is the jewel of Chan-Wook's acclaimed "Vengeance Trilogy
", all of which are excellent. I said last month Brolin had more than the power and presence for the role, and I continue to agree with myself. Oldboy also calls for a really juicy villain, so here's hoping somebody of equal stature can land that. There's speculation that Christian Bale may be the guy, which would be pretty awesome.
The hope is for shooting to being next March, so that leaves plenty of time for Brolin to finish up on Gangster Squad, and for Lee to wrap up his Do the Right Thing
follow-up, Red Hook Summer. [Deadline]
