Directed by Park Chan-Wook, Oldboy is the South Korean thriller that originally took the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. Spike Lee is the most recent director in talks to helm the project, as rumors of a US remake have lingered since 2008.
Oldboy centers on a man held prisoner for 15 years, only to learn that he must find his captor within 5 days of his release. According to Twitchfilm, the film moves forward with at Mandate Pictures with Mark Protosevich (Thor, I Am Legend) as writer and Doug Davison and Roy Lee producing.
Lee is considered a surprising choice to helm the remake, as a host of Hollywood heavyweights including Will Smith and Steven Spielberg have been linked to the project over the years.
Considering Smith’s recent rejection of the title role in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, we can only wonder if he’ll maintain involvement, in any capacity, with the Oldboy remake.