Is Spike Lee “Doing The Right Thing” To Direct A OLD BOY Remake?

Its one of the iconic movies of Asian &World Cinema  and has been the centre of attention for a Hollywood remake for several years but it seems Park Chan Wook’s legendary OLD BOY may now have its director.

It was around 2008 when the idea of a remake surfaced with Steven Spielberg attached to direct with Will Smith to take the lead role but due the rights of the original story were causing a problem and Dreamworks dropped the idea. Since then Mandate Pictures have searching high and low for an ideal candidate , passing by Matthew Vaughn as well as Danny Boyle and according to Twitch the search maybe over!

Twitch have learned Spike Lee is in talks to take over the helm giving the movie a new release of life with Thor/I Am Legend scribe Mark Protosevich to write the Hollywood version. The director is not shy of  controversy, a outspoken figure in African American civil rights a theme seen widely through the filmmakers movies  Do The Right Thing, Malcolm X  and his recent straight to dvd movie Miracle of St.Ana (which dealt with racism during occupied Europe in World War 2).

Old Boy is an 2003 Korean shocker which starred Min-sik Choi (I Saw The Devil) as Ho Dae Su a man who was kidnapped and held captive for 15 years in a small cell. With no clue why he was held captive or who was behind everything after the 15 years he set free given a mobile phone, some money and clothes. Now free Dae Su goes on the hunt to find the man behind his captive to gain answers as well as revenge but as the movie progresses we do learn there is an larger plan at play here.

With his already controversial background (which also includes been blacklisted by some film studio’s as unworkable) Lee might be a more interesting choice than Steven Spielberg letting Lee do what he does best shock people but do we really need a Hollywood version? What Ive read from many sources having a remake of a movie widely available worldwide in shops & online it might be an unwelcome remake, I have to agree. Too many people call themselves cinephiles lovers of all good things film but are too lazy to read subtitles but rather watch a mediocre watered down version that detroy’s all the goodness of the original film and the history books aren’t too kind to remakes as very few new versions get acclaimed success.

No matter what we think of the prospect of Old Boy Hollywood style it looks like it’s going to happen but whats your thoughts on having Spike Lee as the director? Do you have any suggestions? As for lead actor could it still be Will Smith or do you have an ideal person in mind? Leave your thoughts below…