'Oldboy' Remake Apparently Not Actually a Remake
Filed under: Action, RumorMonger, Steven Spielberg, Remakes and Sequels
Those of us who were in a moderate panic following the news of a planned Steven Spielberg-Will Smith remake of Chan-wook Park's singular Oldboy can rest a tiny bit easier. According to Will Smith, who's out and about promoting Seven Pounds, the film is in the works -- but it's not a remake after all. Film School Rejects has the money quote: "We're looking at [Oldboy] right now. Not the film though, it's the original source material. There's the original comics of Oldboy that they made the first film from. And that's what we're working from, not an adaptation of the film."
I'm not sure it makes that much of a difference; an American version of Oldboy is an American version of Oldboy. But at least now Park's film might be able to stand as a companion film to the eventual Hollywood behemoth, without the studio trying to make everyone forget that it exists. I don't have the same hope for, e.g., the Matt Reeves remake of Let the Right One In, which I am actively dreading. Oldboy is something Hollywood can do well, if differently; Let the Right One In can only go badly.
If you haven't seen Park's Oldboy, I strongly recommend a rental. It's pretty unique, and has at least one utterly jawdropping action scene. You know which one I'm talking about.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-21-2008 @ 12:32PM
Harless? said...
What gives you the hope that Hollywood could do an appropriate adaptation? Hollywood has shied away from challenging it's audiences and if Oldboy is done well it will most certainly a lot of American movie goers uncomfortable.
But more important, it will be impossible for Spielberg and Smith to make an adaptation that stays faithful to the source material. Their reputations won't allow it. Both men are known for making positive movies with strong likable protagonists. Neither one is able to, with any great success, create believable moral ambiguity (I am talking about recent Spielberg, post-Schindler's List (His early films are great)). The studios, focus groups, their own reputations, etc. wouldn't allow them to address the darker themes of the story either.
Despite it not being a remake of the film "Oldboy," this news still saddens me. If you haven't seen Oldboy, please do, before Dreamworks buys all the copies and hides them from the world to promote Will Smith.
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11-21-2008 @ 12:33PM
Fist of Konshu said...
If you read the original Manga that it came from it takes a different plot path. There is less incest, and there are more characters and more pieces to to the puzzle. It is very well written and a worth while read.
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11-21-2008 @ 1:34PM
stuntman-james said...
As a film school grad and a aspiring writer and director, I am so lost for words when it comes to hollywood. I do realize that 90 percent of movie-goers don't care for substance or story, but rather whatever is hot on the screen. This comes from the few friends that I invite that wonder why Transformers did not win best picture.
However, the fact that remakes are the flavor of the moment is quite disturbing. The fact is that there are less writers and studios willing to give an unknown or indie writer and director a voice for original source material is a testament that crap sells and good will never be the norm. Sure there are great movies like The Wrestler and Slumdog Millionaire that are out, but not accessible to the average movie goer. I had to drive 4 hours to see Slumdog, well worth the drive to the bay area. I challenge the big directors and the studios to make movies that re not remakes. Halloween by Carpenter was amazing and did not need a remake. Stop treating us like a bunch of lemmings and give the masses the movies and stories we crave.
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11-21-2008 @ 4:01PM
Adam said...
Unless the hallway scene is included, this is gonna suck. One thing I will give Will Smith is that he would f'n rock the hallway scene, and I think Smith would probably eat a live squid for his craft. I'm glad they aren't going for the film adaptation, b/c that film would never mesh with American sensabilities.
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11-24-2008 @ 11:08AM
Huff said...
"Hollywood has shied away from challenging it's audiences and if Oldboy is done well it will most certainly a lot of American movie goers uncomfortable."
I'm assuming that you've never read the original manga, but there really isn't much content to "challenge" audiences. The film adaptation is very much Park's own individual vision, having little in common with the pulpy, somewhat conventional revenge saga present in the original manga. In all honesty the original story is very adaptable as a stylish revenge flick provided that the right talents are attached. In any case, the fanboy backlash is already getting a little ridiculous. The core story of Oldboy (in other words, The Count of Monte Cristo) is potent and universal enough that it practically demands to be re-imagined.
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