HOME TRAILERS 2013 SCHEDULE PODCASTS REVIEWS POSTERS INTERVIEWS SHORT FILMS NEWS FEEDS ABOUT APPS

LATEST NEWS

Colin Firth Offered the Villain Role in Spike Lee's 'Oldboy' Remake?

by James Wallace
November 11, 2011
Source: Twitch

If he wasn't already a hot commodity, snagging last year's Oscar for Best Actor in The King's Speech made Colin Firth an even bigger deal on the big screen, and now Twitch has word the British actor has been offered the villainous role of Adrian in Spike Lee's remake of Park Chan-wook's Oldboy. Firth would be the nemesis to Josh Brolin's character, a man that finds himself kidnapped and mysteriously imprisoned in a hotel room for more than a decade and, upon his release, seeks out the person responsible and reasoning for holding him captive. From there, well, things gets weird. Remember, Firth has only been offered the role.

If you haven't seen Oldboy, well, drop what you're doing (unless it's hammering) and go watch it right now. Okay, now that's out of the way, if you have seen Oldboy, then you know that a role like that of Adrian would be a bold move for a more traditional actor like Firth, and a brilliant bit of casting. I think he and Brolin would do well to play opposite of each other in this Shakespearean style tragedy. I just hope Lee captures the essence of the original and does't strip it of its intricate twists and turns that made Chan-wook's the raw and violent masterpiece that it was. In other words, it shouldn't be a PG-13 Hollywood version. As much as I love Spielberg, I imagine that's what would have happened had his and Will Smith's once planned remake of the film actually materialized. Thoughts?

Filed under Casting, Movie News, Rumors

From around the web:

Armeetapus16

at least they're building a solid cast
Josh Taylor

Spielberg never would have allowed the new one to tread the same grounds as the original. It's nothing but a good thing, that he has been removed from the project. Also Will Smith is not a very good actor so I am glad to see him go too.
happy camper

Spike Lee is a horrid director tho, such a shame.
- Christohper Exantus
  
  Except, he kinda isn't.
Marcus

The countless asian horror films, Brothers, Let the Right One In, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Old Boy, Cache (in the works).... What the ^%&* is up with Hollywood?! I sort of liked Let Me In, but what are they trying to prove? They are completely unnessessary. I understand for famous plays and classic novels to have many remakes, but WTF with someone's original idea for a film. Let the films be and don't go on &%(*ing with them!!! Oh, wait. Old Boy is the second installment of the Park Chan-wook's "revenge trilogy".. don't they know they are starting in the middle?? Give me a break.
- JP
  
  The films of the vengeance trilogy are only related in the theme of vengeance. It's like if the same guy directed "Drive," "The Transporter," and "Faster" and said they comprised his "driver trilogy." All of the films in Park's vengeance trilogy are completely separate entities.
- Christohper Exantus
  
  Also, Old Boy is not an original film. It itself is an adaptation of a Japanese manga. Goddamn people. If you're going to bash anything that moves for the sake of a movie you like, at least you should know everything about that movie.
  - Marcus
    
    Sorry if I made you a little angry Chris, but are you missing my point? Maybe everyone else doesn't see it the way I do, but since the year 2000, there has been very little to expect in Hollywood. Biopic, Foreign Film Remake, 80's Pop Culture Film Remake, "Let's make a Persian/Greek/Roman historical epic where all characters speak in a British accent," etc. Independent film is where true cinema art lies, and some of the best films I've seen in recent years are a testament to that. Originality, even if it comes from a Japanese manga.
Nmghnghasdfa

No. Just no. That can NOT be the villain for Oldboy. I won't have it.
Lebowski

Seriously though, how much are they gonna have to cut from the original screenplay for the remake? Even if they want to go hard R, I find it unlikely that the MPAA would be too keen on the incest and tongue biting. And even then, are they just going to remake sequences like the hammer/hallway shot for shot? Because that shit would be lame.