Spike Lee Back with a Vengeance to Direct ‘Oldboy’ Remake

To be honest, as with most remakes, I’m not sure how I feel about this. I’m sure it might look like a great idea on paper, at least to some, but I’m not sure director Spike Lee has the required sensibilities to direct a remake of Chanwook Park’s cult classic revenge tale Oldboy.

That’s right, according to reports, Lee is set to do that very thing for Mandate Pictures. The new film is being adapted by Mark Protosevich, who will also co-produce.

It’s not that I think Lee isn’t a good director, he is. In fact, I very much enjoyed his recent film Inside Man, which showed he can reach beyond the fare he’s usually associated with. Plus, his 25th Hour was also a very good indicator of his range as a director.

But Oldboy requires a certain bit of over-the-top thinking that I’m not sure Lee can muster. I felt the same way when it was Steven Spielberg and Will Smith who were trying to mount a remake a few years ago. I’m not sure they could do the film justice either.

At least, given the choice between Spielberg and Lee, I would pick Lee to do the remake. He’s at least farther down the right track. Of course, now that this is going again and Lee is apparently onboard, the big question is who will play the title character, know as Oh Dae-Su in Park’s version?

If I get a vote, I’m going to go with Lee’s collaborator on Inside Man Clive Owen. Or, perhaps go a slightly different way and cast Tom Hardy. That would be pretty cool too. Either way, it will hopefully be an actor willing to make the necessary, shall we say sacrifice, at the end of the film.

We’ll be following this one, rest assured.