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Gore Verbinski Producing The Host Remake for Universal

by Alex Billington
November 18, 2008

We knew this was coming. Universal Pictures is remaking Bong Joon-ho's 2006 Korean monster movie The Host (aka Gwoemul). First-time feature filmmaker Fredrik Bond is set to direct, with Mark Poirier (Smart People) penning the script, and Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski producing. While Bond hasn't directed a feature film yet, he has directed numerous commercials (of which you can see a few of over on SlashFilm) and seems to at least get the idea of the film: "It processes a few genres together, and visually it feels close to the stuff I've made over the last few years in commercials, the tonality of humor and the scale." I hope that means they won't butcher this remake in its Americanized adaptation.

Not that this is uncommon, but The Host is one of those films that I really felt already surpassed normal Hollywood standards (unlike films like Day the Earth Stood Still that could use an update). Its effects were great, the story was fantastic, the acting was phenomenal, so there really is no need for a remake! But alas, that's what Hollywood does, they take everything and remake or reboot it. If you haven't ever seen The Host, please do yourself a favor and pick up a copy right away. As long as you watch it with English subtitles (and not dubbed - a nod to a friend who forgot to do so) you'll end up loving it. As for this reboot, thankfully I've got some faith in Verbinski and Bond doesn't seem that bad either. Maybe it'll turn out good?

Filed under Movie News, Opinions

From around the web:

Viper

*Vast multitude of expletives* This is getting absolutely ridiculous!!!
freestyLes

keep the asian movie's as they are..stop killing them with these remakes. THEY ARE FINE AS THEY ARE!
http://www.indiegogo.com/judgemental Trystan

you guys should check out some of the directors work: http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/11/18/the-commercials-of-fredrik-bond/ he seems like a good guy to be helming this. i mean i won't hold my breathe or anything, but at least they are giving a good director the shot at making instead of some crappy guy, since that is what we are used to.
Marcus

It doesnt matter if it was a super-genetic-ultra-director was created from a test tube that was going to remake the film... its still not needed! As Alex said, The Host even beat many Hollywood standards, and its only a 2006 movie! Disgraceful! Im getting sick of the film industry at the moment.
Itri

I'm tired of these damn remakes. I am no longer spending any of my money on them. People should appreciate the damn original.
Paprika

seriously, these people are probably getting paid millions and millions of dollars to do a remake???? i am as irritated as much as i heard the news when they are going to remake "old boy"...the problem with these idiots are they take this brilliantly made movies which some people here havent heard then make a movie probably little reference to the original, make lots of money out of it, wait for the next big thing in asia and probably do a remake again.
SillySil

No, leave this film alone!
http://www.bleepinggeek.com Pete the Geek

The Host is arguably one of the greatest monster movies made in the last decade or so, and it's an absolute travesty that someone would want to "americanize" it (which is all these "remakes" are - a watered down version with more action and less story for dumb Americans who refuse to watch movies just because they aren't in English). Universal (home of the monster movie) should know better. How would they feel if someone in another country made millions of dollars ripping off the Wolfman, or Frankenstein? I'm boycotting this remake. The Host isn't even that old! If Universal wants money this badly, why not just pay to have it dubbed or something and re-release it stateside?
http://film-book.com Film-Book dot Com

The Host is a fantastic film. http://film-book.com/review-the-host/ I agree with Alex. "The Host is one of those films that I really felt already surpassed normal Hollywood standards (unlike films like Day the Earth Stood Still that could use an update). Its effects were great, the story was fantastic, the acting was phenomenal, so there really is no need for a remake!" There is no need for a remake at all but then again they are remaking Oldboy and Let the Right One In so Hollywood really has no shame (or originality) anymore.
David

I owen this movie. Its one of my Fav monster movies. BAD ASS! Semi bad Acting, but its still funny.
NadaNuff

The reason Hollywood remakes movies is to see if they can somehow improve upon the idea of the original by means of A) a bigger budget, and B) localization (in the case of foreign films). Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they fail. I've never understood the "it doesn't need a remake" mentality. Remaking doesn't destroy the original. You're not obligated to see the remake. Let it be. I saw The Host and wasn't too impressed. Mainly because of the pacing, which is an issue with most Asian movies. A good 1/3 of the film will put you to sleep. And The Host is part comedy, too--something I'd be surprised to see in the remake. Maybe they'll take it in a different direction if they leave the comedy aspect in there. I'll wait for the trailer and see if it's worth a look.
Dave Lister, JMC

I agree with Alex. The original film is fine the way it is. I seem to remember the publicity for The Host overlapping, with the hype for Cloverfield. Let me just say that The Host is a vastly superior monster movie; it had a great visual style and very good performances, and it offered an emergence into another world culture. I fear that an Americanized version will just be a sub-standard retread, on the order of Emmerich's Godzilla.
Staatz

It would be nice if they just decided to give the original a wide release but nooooo
Lincoln

The original story is totally subversive against America, it cannot possibly be remade with respect for the source material unless it took place in Hawaii or some port of ours! This is so friggin' stupid! I have never been so violent against a remake but I screwed some stuff up when I heard this news. Even Oldboy remake news didn't piss me off this much. There was nothing wrong with the Host in the first place. It is a true Korean film, completely about Korea. Even the monster represents Korea! ARRRGHHH!!!!!!
-Peter-

I always thought this movie looked interesting, but alas, I'm lazy. I never rented it because I was always getting something that didn't require me to read. But I will deffinently see the original if they insist on remaking it. I have heard good things. Off to rent it!
edi

Noooo! Dont, please
Voice Of Reason

Reboot this. Remake that. Americanize this. Reinvent that. FUCK HOLLYWOOD. You moved to a city full of idiots, assholes, and thieves, Alex.
JayBear

What happened to originality...I loved this movie,but it doesn't need to be redone...It was great the way it was (weird, but great, lol) I mean there were parts when I watched it almost two years ago when I went "uhhh what!?" I'm tired of Hollywood Butchering good movies......its time we stand up and tell them to find writers who will write something original, not just adapt someone else's ideas or scripts.
Heckle

Leave this movie alone. Dont Remake
Red Buttons

Hey guys, Just be glad you have your copies of the host at home. Cause i know what i will watch when this comes out.
Darrin

no,no,no. hell no. i love this film leave it alone.
rissu

f*ck hollywood... why must they remake asian horror? is it because most americans won't read subtitles?
Detective Elsasachuck

Keep the remakes coming, Hollywood. It's not like anyone enjoyed the originals anyway...
http://www.flickr.com/uneak bret

probably going to ruin it. Loved the original.
wm

I love how they always have to remake foreign films so lazy people don't have to read. Plus, it's PG-13 and still called a horror movie
E

This movie was a flawless masterpiece. I'm so tired of freakin Hollywood.
nick

@11: "...the pacing, which is an issue with most Asian movies. A good 1/3 of the film will put you to sleep." Asian films do not have pacing issues. Americans just have attention span issues.
NadaNuff

"American just have attention span issues." I'm gonna ignore that blatant nationalistic generalization. Speaking for myself (and not all Americans, whom you seem to think are identical) I have sat through many Asian films. While enjoyable, some do move painfully slow--I stand by that. The Host is one of them. The good parts were good, and the bad parts were agonizingly drawn out. That doesn't even make it "inferior" to an American film, it's just culture clash. If they didn't do it differently (than "us") it wouldn't be a Korean film. I take it for what it is. My criticism is not based solely on the country of origin. For an example of an American movie with agonizingly slow pacing, watch What Lies Beneath.
nick

@28: my blatant nationalistic generalization is no different than yours. if you can't dig the pacing of asian flicks, that's really your loss. painfully slow? go watch dark knight again then if you want a movie that has hollywood style pacing. if no breathing in a movie is your thing, do it up. just don't pretend that another genre has pacing issues just because you get bored by it.
NadaNuff

"If you can't dig the pacing of Asian flicks, that's really your loss." My loss? The fact that I actually look up and buy obscure, unreleased Asian flicks shows that I have an interest in the genre. I'm not losing out on anything. "Painfully slow?" That's right, I said it. "Just don't pretend that another genre has pacing issues just because you get bored by it." I'm not pretending, I have an opinion (look it up), which is that Asain films have pacing issues. If you prefer the pacing of Asian films vs Hollywood films, then you are free to have the opinion that "American films have pacing issues." It's funny that you're offended by someone who actually takes an interest in Asian flicks but has one criticism about them as a whole. I would think you'd be more offended by someone who ignores them completely. No genre is above criticism. Your fanboyish type attitude toward Asian films shows that it is impossible to get an objective statement from you.
nick

you win! but seriously, it's not really an objectivity issue. it's an opinion issue. which is why this discussion is so very pointless. sorry i incited it!
chris

sounds good if taken seriously.
Jack Frost

@NadaNuff (I realize that this is over a year old and no one is reading it, but...) Seriously, dude, you're allowed to have your own opinion, yes, but saying "Asian films have pacing issues" is f---ing ridiculous. Really? ALL Asian films. So everything from Hong Kong action movies to Japanese family dramas to South Korean thrillers to Bollywood musicals all simultaneously suffer from bad pacing. 40% of all movies from a dozen different countries in a kaleidoscope of different genres ALL suffer from pacing issues. Asia is pretty f---ing big, hoss. You probably think all Asians look alike too. (grumblegrumbleracistsumbitchgrumblegrumble)
zorg

I'm already over this. I'm waiting for the remake of the remake. Ever since I read in the Onion about the remake of Avatar to bring it up to date for late 2010 audiences, I realized that what we really need are remakes that come out sooner, not later. That way, the original publicity is still fresh in our minds and we remember to go to Hollywood's steaming piles of remakes! Plus, it helps sites like this where we can divide into three camps based on which version is the real Star Trek, oops, I mean the real The Host!