Spike Lee to direct an adaptation of Oldboy.

I’m too obsessed with the Oldboy out of South Korea to ever consider Spike Lee’s upcoming adaptation of the movie “a remake”. You can never remake the S.Korean Oldboy. Ever. It is so singular, so Korean, so bizzare, that to attempt to adapt it would be suicidal for a western director.

SlashFilm released that Spike Lee is indeed the next direct of a western version of the story. However, the press release clearly stated that, “Mandate Pictures announced today that Spike Lee (Inside Man) will direct OLDBOY, a remake of the highly-acclaimed South Korean film. Mark Protosevich has adapted the screenplay and will co-produce.” So they’re really shooting for a remake of the Korean film.

I rarely say never, but Lee will never capture the madness of Chan-wook Park’s version. Will they include the incest, the live squid eating, the uncompromising story of suicide and murder?

The original movie is only one of ten or so films I’ve written in my “Great films” section. It remains one of the most audacious, hip, and shocking movies I’ve ever seen. It is a part of a S.Korean filmmaking movement that releases movies that seem to never be bad. All-in-all I’m looking forward to it, but I’ll be very apprehensive when I see Denzel as the lead and Brooklyn as the city.

-Collin