From the Guardian:
Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are planning to collaborate on a remake of Park Chan-wook's Oldboy, according to Variety. The pair, who have been looking for a project to work on together for some time, are said to be in early discussions about reworking the acclaimed Korean thriller, which centres on a man who is kidnapped and held in a dirty cell for 15 years without explanation.
There are so many things wrong with this idea, but I'll start at the incest: Really, Spielberg? You're going to add that to your resume? Same with you, Will? I think no, which means extracting a crucial aspect of the story.
And speaking of the story: It's the weakest part of the movie. And typically when you decide to do an American remake of a film, it's because the story is worth translating. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely fucking love Oldboy, but the plot is insanely convoluted. What makes the original great, though, is the stunning direction and imagery of Park Chan-wook, and the insanely visceral performance by Choi Min-sik. I have nothing against Will Smith nor Spielberg, but neither of them are going to improve on either of those things. So just leave it alone.
If anyone is going to do this remake, it should be David Fincher, whose style clearly influenced Chan-wook. And the only other person who could bring Min-sik's loony energy to the character of Oh Dae-su is the reanimated corpse of Klaus Kinski. Since the latter isn't likely to happen, this shouldn't happen at all.
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