'Oldboy' is Dead! Long Live the Real 'Oldboy!'
Filed under: Action, Foreign Language, RumorMonger, Steven Spielberg, Remakes and Sequels
Looks like our friends over at Latino Review have some news on that Oldboy remake that would have starred Will Smith with Steven Spielberg directing. The initial news about this remake (which actually would have been an adaptation of "the Japanese manga by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya") had fans of the uber-violent and disturbing cult film confused and distressed, to say the least. (Okay, irate. They were irate.) I haven't read the manga, but I find it hard to believe that it would be any easier to adapt for a Smith/Spielberg-type audience than the movie Oldboy itself. Either way, it's bananas.So fans can rest easy because a trusted source has tipped off LR that the whole shebang is as dead as a doornail because "Mandate and DreamWorks didn't see eye to eye, therefore DreamWorks has apparently walked away." And the thing with Latino Review is that their trusted sources are, well, trustworthy, so expect more details soon -- and stories in the trade papers that will claim the same scoop. Tomorrow.
I just don't get the appeal of remaking foreign films for US audiences, especially now that services like Netflix and GreenCine can bring whatever obscure film you just read about on your friend's Twitter/Facebook/Tumblr to your home in a matter of days. Although it could have been fun to see Will Smith eating a live octopus and disposing of enemies in exceedingly violent ways while under the direction of Steven Spielberg, it's still insulting to assume that American audiences are somehow not smart enough to find these movies on our own. Or, gasp, read subtitles! Oh, the horror.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-10-2009 @ 10:41AM
Parl said...
"Oldboy remake that would have starred Will Smith"
I can't think of anything worse.
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11-10-2009 @ 12:49PM
Creep said...
Awesome! This is great news. There is just no need for Oldboy to be remade. The original is perfect and a remake would just taint it.
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11-10-2009 @ 10:51AM
Adam said...
I really don't get all the Will Smith hate. Yes the guy is one of the shittiest rappers ever, but he's also one of the best actors of this generation. If not him for Oh Dae-su, who else? Exactly....
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11-10-2009 @ 10:58AM
Jenni Miller said...
I have no hate for Will himself or most of his roles, although Seven Pounds was one of the worst movies I've ever had the misfortune of sitting through. Overall, I had a problem with the casting of him in the lead in this particular project and the general idea of a remake.
11-10-2009 @ 10:53AM
ML said...
Every time I hear that casting, I laugh.
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11-10-2009 @ 11:03AM
Nickel said...
"it's still insulting to assume that American audiences are somehow not smart enough to find these movies on our own. Or, gasp, read subtitles! Oh, the horror."
Its a fact that most people hate reading subtitles in a movie. Sure people could "find" the original foreign movie, but they wouldn't want to watch it because they would need to read during the movie. Not saying everyone. But like 90% the target market is like that.
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11-10-2009 @ 11:24AM
Adam said...
While most remakes do suck pretty hard, "The Departed" showed that a movie can be remade for American audiences while managing to be a quality film. I love "Infernal Affairs", I watch it all the time, and I honestly can't say that it's better or worse than "The Departed". I also love "Oldboy", and one of the reasons I love "Oldboy" is the incredible visual work. If anyone were capable of bringing that type of visuals it's the guy who brought us "Close Encounters". Since he's no longer involved, I have trouble looking forward to this. The one good sign is that Oh Dae-Su is one intense mother and I can't wait to see Will Smith capture that intensity.
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11-11-2009 @ 6:16PM
lee said...
loads of foreign films had been remade for the American audience heres a list of well knwon films that been remade i.e. Scent of a Woman and True Lies
http://www.listology.com/list/feature-films-based-films-foreign-language
11-10-2009 @ 2:42PM
Harless? said...
Adam, I have to disagree with you. "Infernal Affairs" was a much better movie. I felt "The Departed" over simplified the characters and I hated the American ending. Not to mention Tony Leung is a better actor then Leonardo DiCaprio.
It's funny, I often site this example as reason foreign movies don't need to be remade. But in truth, American audiences would rather things spelled out and questions answered before the lights go up. And so maybe Asian movies do need to be translated.
11-10-2009 @ 12:18PM
justin said...
nothing against the Fresh Prince, but i'd rather have seen Guy Pearce or Gary Oldman in this.
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11-10-2009 @ 2:00PM
Donnie said...
They would have most certainly change certain details of the story also. No spoilers here but it is quite disturbing. It is, however, one of my favorite movies of all time.
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11-10-2009 @ 2:24PM
Cyhort said...
"Or, gasp, read subtitles! Oh, the horror"
I despise subtitles. Reading text on the bottom of the screen makes it very hard for me to get into the movie. Plus I want to hear the emotion in people's voices, 90% of the time when I listen to people in other languages I just hear varying levels of volume instead of actual emotion. Especially when it's Japanese.
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