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FilmDistrict Picks Up Distribution for Spike Lee's 'Oldboy' Remake

by Ben Pearson
September 7, 2012

Ever since its formation in 2010, FilmDistrict has been steadily making a mark on the industry with its distribution choices. The first film the company released was the horror pic Insidious, which earned a cool $97 million at the worldwide box office, and since then they've gone on to distribute Johnny Depp's The Rum Diary, Ryan Gosling's Drive, Aubrey Plaza's Safety Not Guaranteed, and more, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's upcoming time travel flick Looper on the way (which Alex has already seen). Now the fledgling company has secured yet another intriguing property: Spike Lee's remake of Chan-wook Park's Oldboy.

Oldboy tells the story of an advertising executive (Josh Brolin) who is inexplicably kidnapped and held captive for 20 years. When he's unceremoniously released, he goes on an obsessive quest to find out who did this to him and why, enlisting the help of a young social worker (Elizabeth Olsen) before he eventually tracks down an enigmatic man (Sharlto Copley) who may have all the answers.

FilmDistrict founder Peter Schlessel has respect for Chan-wook Park's original movie, but also looks forward to what Lee can do with Mark Protosevich's script, saying, “Spike Lee is the right filmmaker to reimagine and put his touch onto arguably one of the most talked about thrillers in recent memory. The cast that he and [the] producers have put together is sure to elevate the material and engage audiences."

You might have noticed I called this a "remake" and not "a new adaptation of the manga." I've seen a lot of people nitpicking that terminology recently, but the official press release from FilmDistrict calls this a remake, so that's the description we'll stick with. Aside from Looper, FilmDistrict is also releasing the remake of Red Dawn later this year, as well as the Gerard Butler soccer comedy Playing for Keeps.

Filed under Development, Movie News

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