Spike Lee To Direct 'Oldboy' remake

[KRIM]

http://www.flicksandbits.com/2011/1...-remake-set-to-start-shooting-in-march/18417/

“there’s going to be a different interpretation of the hallway scene that is hopefully going to be Spike’s signature moment in the movie that he wants to show in a way that has never been seen in an action movie.”

Hm. Glad to see it will make the cut, but I am interested in how Spike will put his own spin on it. That sequence was nothing short of beautiful.

 

[kvz5]

Possibly even darker? I'm intrigued.

I'm really curious as to who will eventually get the female lead.

 

[dark_b]

with ''hallway'' i think they mean the long fight scene.

 

[kvz5]

^ That's really the only scene I can think of that they're referring to.

 

[Stringer]

When I saw that I immediately thought of Spike incorporating his common "character gliding in a daze" shot during the fight scene.

 

[Wolfwood]

I've yet to see Firth do a "dark role" so seeing his performance will probably be worth the price of admission.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Well thank God they seem to be keeping the ending, and.... darker? Intriguing.

 

[Crockett]

Eh, I'd have rather seen Lee adding a new scene that covers the fight sequence rather that doing his own take on the hallway scene since that was something Park added in his film and was absent in the manga if I'm not mistaken.

 

[ALP]

Yeah the arcade scene was so amazing. No need to replicate something that was purely their own(the other film)

 

[Project862006]

^obviously not replicating it

just his take on that scene to go with his style

 

[kvz5]

Back when they were courting Bale for the villain role, I was thinking that maybe they'll add another twist where the lead and the villain are brothers (because Bale and Brolin could totally pass as siblings) but now with Firth up for the role maybe my theory was wrong. Or maybe it still holds up.

 

[kvz5]

Firth turned down the villain role:

http://twitchfilm.com/news/2011/12/colin-firth-turns-down-spike-lees-oldboy.php

COLIN FIRTH TURNS DOWN SPIKE LEE'S OLDBOY

Last month Twitch broke word that The King's Speech star Colin Firth had been offered the villain role in Spike Lee's upcoming remake of Oldboy. Firth would confirm the offer in subsequent interviews while playing coy about his intended response but had he taken the role on it would have seen him playing Josh Brolin's tormentor in the story of a man kidnapped and imprisoned for years without explanation.

Well, they're going to need to find another kidnapper. Twitch has learned that Firth has now officially passed on the project meaning they need to find someone else to play opposite Brolin in what is being planned as an early 2012 shoot.

 

[Assassin32]

That's too bad. Colin Firth as the villain was an inspired idea.

 

[Lasirius]

Yes, that's disappointing.

 

[kvz5]

http://twitchfilm.com/news/2011/12/breaking-clive-owen-offered-villain-role-in-spike-lees-oldboy.php

BREAKING: CLIVE OWEN OFFERED VILLAIN ROLE IN SPIKE LEE'S OLDBOY

When word got out that the offer had been made to Colin Firth to play opposite Josh Brolin in the Spike Lee directed remake of Oldboy there was a general consensus that it was an inspired choice. And so it stung a little bit when Firth eventually passed on the part, a situation that leads to the obvious question of who do they try for next?

Well, that decision has been made and it is arguably an even better selection than Firth was.

Twitch has learned that the villain role has now been offered to Clive Owen. Owen and Lee have history, of course, having worked together on Lee's underrated thriller The Inside Man. That the director and star know and like each other is certainly a plus but a much bigger plus is that Owen embodies the perfect blend of sophistication and menace that the part requires along with the sort of charisma needed to go toe to toe with Brolin. Now he just needs to say yes.

 

[Lasirius]

I was very much looking forward to watch Firth on this role, but Owen would be a good replacement. I'm almost sure he's going to take it.

 

[kvz5]

http://twitchfilm.com/news/2011/12/...-offered-female-lead-in-spike-lees-oldboy.php

BREAKING: MIA WASIKOWSKA OFFERED FEMALE LEAD IN SPIKE LEE'S OLDBOY

In an interesting piece of synchronicity it appears that Mia Wasikowska may be moving from Oldboy director Park Chan-Wook's English language debut Stoker to Spike Lee's remake of Park's breakout film.

Twitch has learned that Wasikowska has been offered the role of Marie, the female lead of the gritty thriller. The role was previously offered to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo star Rooney Mara but Wasikowska seems an excellent choice as well.

If she accepts the young actress will be playing opposite Josh Brolin in the lead as a man imprisoned against his will and with no explanation for years before he is released and sets out to find and take revenge on his captor. The villain's role had previously been offered to Colin Firth and is currently being offered to Clive Owen.

 

[kvz5]

Owen passed and production was pushed:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayl...-clive-owen-is-the-latest-to-turn-down-a-role

Start Date For 'Oldboy' Pushed Back As Clive Owen Is The Latest To Turn Down A Role

We have to say, we're starting to become a little concerned about "Oldboy." Never exactly the most necessary of remakes in the first place, our interest was piqued when Spike Lee signed on to direct, swiftly followed by Josh Brolin; a talented, interesting pair who seemed to promise that this would be something a little more special than a quick-and-easy remake.

But over time, we've begun to worry about the film, as more and more actors have passed on the other primary roles; Rooney Mara turned down the female lead, while Christian Bale and Colin Firth both declined to play the villain. The film was meant to be gearing up to shoot soon, but Variety's Jeff Sneider revealed on Twitter that the start date has been pushed back to late summer or early fall, ostensibly because of Josh Brolin's press commitments to "Men in Black 3," a film that's now taken up almost two years of the actor's time, on-and-off.

But is that the whole story? Because Sneider also reveals that Clive Owen, who was the latest to be offered the bad guy role, has similarly declined; and when the man who said yes to "The Killer Elite" turns you down, you know you might be in trouble. It's possible that he was being low-balled monetarily, but given the number of actors who've now passed on the film (and the lack of word on the offer received by Mia Wasikowska for the female lead), we start to wonder if our optimism about Mark Protosevich's script was misplaced. Assuming Lee's able to fill up his call sheet, "Oldboy" should hit sometime in 2013, albeit a little later than originally planned.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Dammit.

 

[terry78]

What's up with all these turn downs? It's not like it's going to be a shabby production unless exec meddling takes place.

 

[kvz5]

Horrible script probably.

 

[Project862006]

Elizabeth Olsen Offered Female Lead

Outside of Josh Brolin the casting has not come particularly quick or easy for the Spike Lee directed remake of Oldboy.

Brolin locked in as the lead quite early but the quest for a villain so far has involved names ranging from Christian Bale, Colin Firth and Clive Owen. All have passed for various reasons and the search continues.

For the female lead both Rooney Mara and Mia Wasikowska have been offered and rejected the part and Twitch has now learned that the role of Marie has been offered to Elizabeth Olsen.

The other Olsen sister, Elizabeth seemingly sprang out of nowhere at Sundance 2011 to become one of America's most sought after young actresses thanks to parts in The Silent House and Martha Marcy May Marlene. The Olsen starring Peace, Love & Misunderstanding premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival while she also had a major role in 2012 Sundance pick Red Lights and with three other projects listed to start in 2013 she's not going away anytime soon. She's also got a sizable gap in her schedule before those projects are due to start, which makes this a very plausible option

http://twitchfilm.com/news/2012/02/...-offered-female-lead-in-spike-lees-oldboy.php

 

[Crockett]

Damn, if they actually do managed to get her my interest will raise a bit, but since so many actors has pass on for the movie I'll wait and see until it's official.

 

[MadVillainy]

I hope she accepts.

 

[KRIM]

Oh hell yes, this would be a fantastic addition. It is curious that so many actors have turned this down. But Olson is a hot up-and-comer and she'd do the role justice.