By now, even if you haven't seen the original Oldboy film you should know that it's a bit of a cult favorite here in the U.S. and as a result the remake has its fair share of detractors. However, actor Sharlto Copley says that you should give the film a chance.
It's such a good story! Something like this only comes along very rarely, and it seems perfectly reasonable to have a reimagining of it. Very often Hollywood will remake something just because there’s a built-in audience, just for the commercial aspect of doing it. That’s fair enough, I guess. But with this, if you look at the people who have got involved, it’s more for the creative drive.
It’s not a massive franchise that you’re trying to reboot or something that’s going to make a gazillion dollars. It’s just a film that’s artistically inspiring to people. Spike is an artist who’s been inspired to do it. The drive behind it isn’t a studio or an executive thinking it’s a great marketing opportunity. The drive behind it for the producers and the actors and the director, is simply the inspiration of the story. You'll notice it’s not a project populated with people who are known for only taking jobs because they’re commercial..."
It's hard to argue with that sentiment when you have a director like Spike Lee behind the project. Couple that with a talented cast that includes Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen and Samuel L. Jackson and Oldboy should be a nice change of pace during a fall movie season that will include Thor: The Dark World and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. This will also be a much different role for Copley who hasn't been seen in much since District 9 and The A-Team. If the film can strike the right cords its not a huge stretch to see this film generating some award buzz and raising the stock of some of the underrated cast.
An everyday man has only five days and limited resources to discover why he was imprisoned in a nondescript room for 15 years without any explanation.
Running Time: Unknown
Release Date: October 13, 2013
MPAA Rating: R (likely)
Starring: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Samuel L. Jackson, Sharlto Copley, James Ransone, Lance Reddick, Michael Imperioli
Director: Spike Lee
Written by: Garon Tsuchiya (manga) Nobuaki Minegishi (manga) Mark Protosevich (screenplay)
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