DISQUS

Theo · 1 year ago

Speilberg just doesn't have the grit to do Oldboy justice. Smith, it closer but he wouldn't be my choice either.

For director, I like Fincher and would be interested to see what Arnofsky could do with it.

For star, I like Daniel Day-Lewis because no other actor can go where you'd need to go for this like he could. Then again, I think he could play just about any role. For some reason I think Gerard Butler could pull it off as well.

curt · 1 year ago

GOD DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Another movie Will Smith is going to totally screw just by being involved. His name pretty much means pg13. They will NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER make an R rated "action" flick with Will Smith in it. And Speilberg would never keep the movie the same. The only thing bigger than his budgets is his ego. He will change this into a friggin metaphor for oppresion of someone, add in some crappy CG dinosaurs, aliens and god knows what else. This pisses me off more than almost anything else I have read in the last few weeks. If you are going to remake a perfect film (already a bad idea) then get someone who will do it the right way. Not someone who's first thought is "how can I make this movie the way I want it to be?" God damn stupid Holleywood.

ife hearted · 1 year ago

at the end of the day, this movie is gonna be nothing like Old Boy. its gonna be Will Smith running around all over New York or some city like that. all the powerful scenes of the original will be left out (like the squid eating scene) . i don't see Will Smith being o.k with the "twist" at the end, either.
some movies or remakes just dont transition well for American audiences. but, hey, I'll try and be optimistic. here's to Speilberg and Smith at least making a decent movie

whaler · 1 year ago

It'd be pretty hard to translate any Korean film into an american remake that could both a) do the original justice and b) make some cash at the box office (take a look at what happened to My Sassy Girl--> straight to video). The best we can hope for from Speilberg is a reboot that possibly maintains the same style and tone of the original with an ending appropriate for mainstream audiences. I'm actually surprised that Speilberg is making this a project... Why not just let Tarantino remake it, after all he was the one who handed the grand jury prize to Park Chan Wook back in 2004. Better yet, why not let Park Chan Wook direct it himself, he speaks pretty good English and we're seeing more Korean directors branching out lately... As to Will Smith, I'd be deadset against him for the same reasons, despite the fact that he has done "R rated "action" flicks" before (Bad Boys), he lacks the range to pull off Oh Dae Su.

Rob Hunter · 1 year ago

I agree that translating Korean films (most Asian films actually) for a US audience while maintaining the original's quality is a daunting, if not impossible, task. (If you haven't seen The Chaser yet, do so before the upcoming DiCaprio remake comes out.) But I still say Spielberg does in fact have the balls to get gritty and dirty... but Will Smith maybe not so much. I remain cautiously optimistic.

J · 1 year ago

(SPOILER) The incest won't make the transition if Spielberg is at the helm. That part is integral to the story and the impact would be dampened if taken out. I'm okay with Will Smith as the lead, he's proven himself to be a reliable dramatic actor, barring the "aww hell naawwws".

Cole Abaius · 1 year ago

My biggest complaint is actually that Smith isn't old enough. Oh Dae Su seems so pathetic and weak due mostly to how old he is. Middle-age and captivity have not treated him well. He's flabby, out of shape, weak in a physical way. And there's no way that Smit is going to gain 60 pounds to be appear vulnerable for this thing.

Thankfully, instead of watching Smith and Spielberg, I can just watch the original Old Boy. Problem solved.

Nevernude · 1 year ago

omg Rob Hunter, did you actually write that Will Smith's last 3 roles have been dark? COME ON!...looking at imdb, Will's last 3 films have been "Hancock" (how the hell can you call his role in this movie dark?!. a PG-13 movie and dark do not go hand in hand!), I am Legend (in which he acted very very well but again, there was nothing dark in that role! if the second part of the movie had seen him descend into madness due to his absolute loneliness then yeah.) and lastly The Pursuit of Happyness (oh yes, now that was one dark movie! big Will swearing his head off, and punching babies in the face, eating octopus's alive and beating the sh*t out of anyone who dared to come within a 100 metres of him).

Will Smith is a fantastic actor but he ABSOLUTELY CANNOT do justice to this role. Things i cannot see Will Smith do in Oldboy;
eat a squid alive.
beat the hell out of henchmen with a hammer
pulling his own tongue out
...

Ed Norton perhaps?

D Train · 1 year ago

What's with all the Spielberg bashing? Are you guys serious? No wonder they call this site Film School Rejects. Look at the mans track record. He's like 40-2. And if you think he doesn't have the balls and the clout to pull this off, then you obviously don't know who runs shit in Hollywood.

curt · 1 year ago

We know exactly who runs shit in Hollywood. That's why we're all such bug fans of a movie made in Korea. And, no I am not a Spielberg fan.

Rob Hunter · 1 year ago

@ Nevernude, I actually wrote Smith's "last three films have seen him go as dark as he’s ever been"... which is different from actually calling them dark, and I stand by that. Yes, including Happyness. I wasn't implying they were anywhere as near as dark as Old Boy though...

@ Abaius, Oh Dae Su isn't really that out of shape. He spends much of his captivity exercising and punching the wall. You must be projecting your dougheyness onto others again. Though I do agree with you on the age thing, which is why I suggested Mel Gibson!

@ D Train, as I've said above, I happen to think Spielberg could just maybe pull off an 'Old Boy' remake. The bashing you refer to from the others seems to be more about his perceived inability to go dark and less about his overall film career.

ddog · 1 year ago

Worst idea ever. This flick doesnt require a remake. no idea how tired i am of our country just plotting out remakes rehashes new twists and all that jazz on older films and some times for films taht were made less than a year ago i.e. [rec] and let the right one in.

whaler · 1 year ago

@Rob Hunter
I have seen "The Chaser" (one of the best Korean flicks of `08) however I think that remaking a movie like "The Chaser", which is pretty much a straight-up thriller, and remaking a flick as complex and twisted as Oldboy are two different things. The Chaser could come off as a good flick, after all, Leo's already proved his chops in the Asian remake market with "The Departed". I've gotta disagree with you on Speilberg's chances though, he's never tried to create a character(s) even close to the one's that come out in Oldboy.

Rob Hunter · 1 year ago

@ whaler,
If you've seen The Chaser then you know there's a scene towards the end that I highly doubt will make it into the US remake, even though it's integral. I won't say it so as not to spoil it for others, but do you really think that a US version will let the pimp struggle with his search for the entire film only to have that happen?
And as far as Spielberg's chances, he won't make a film as incredible as the original, but I still think he can make a good movie from the material.

whaler · 1 year ago

I think the ending of Chaser could still work out well if it matched as well with the style of the American version as it did in the Korean version. Scorsese held fairly true to the original ending of Internal Affairs with Departed and it was popular in the box office. I'll concede that Speilberg is probably one of the only directors who could pull off a remake that might actually make some cash, but I wonder how much he would cut... Maybe he'd go back to the original Japanese comic or something?

Ty. · 11 months ago

There's no way they are going to keep the same ending. I doubt if they even keep the brother sister stuff in it. I just feel sick inside when I think of how up beat this is going to be. I'm already trying to formulate a plot to have this movie destroyed before it ever sees the light of day.

absam · 3 months ago

Smith would destroy this role. He's not the kind of actor who could pull it off. Choi Min Shik (actor who plays the lead role) has said he wants Sean Penn to star in the US remake. I think Penn has the ability to pull it off much better than Smith. Also, I don't think Spielberg has what it takes to pull off this kind of film either.

willtraven · 2 months ago

Totally agreed.
But I didn't even know there was going to be a remake of Oldboy. Of course, I object, seeing as it's perfect as it is, my favorite movie ever (it's not even outdated yet).
and you're right, Fincher has done a lot of darkly stylish films, but I suppose Spielberg's done Minority Report and Munich. But still. Oldboy is gritty and uncompromisingly uncomfortable. I doubt Spielberg's going to push the audience as far as the original did rather than sitting back and just making an intense thriller.

I am happy they didn't choose a total amateur though.