FilmDistrict has released the CinemaCon teaser poster for Spike Lee‘s adaptation of Oldboy.  Steve previously snapped a photo of the poster while at CinemaCon, but this is a high-quality version.  For those unfamiliar with the story, it centers on a man (Josh Brolin) who is kidnapped for mysterious reasons, and is released twenty years later with no explanation.  Once free, he goes on a mission to find his captor and take revenge.  The hash marks on the poster are a clever and subtle way of showing the twenty years of captivity for Brolin’s character.

Hit the jump to check out the poster.  The film also stars Elizabeth Olsen and Sharlto Copley.  Oldboy opens October 11th.

Director Spike Lee’s remake of Park Chan-wook’s South Korean new-classic Oldboy is currently in production in New Orleans, and a few more photos from the set have surfaced.  The film stars Josh Bolin as an advertising executive who is kidnapped and imprisoned for 20 years without explanation.  He is abruptly released and sets out to discover the who and why of his captivity, running across a social worker (Elizabeth Olsen) and an illusive man (Sharlto Copley) who allegedly holds the key to his salvation.   We previously got a brief look at Brolin in costume, and these new set photos reveal Olsen’s tattooed character and Brolin sporting some intimidating workout clothes.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film also stars Samuel L. Jackson and James Ransone.  Oldboy opens on October 11th, 2013.

Okay, I know you weren’t on board with an Oldboy remake of any form in the beginning.  But you have to admit, you were intrigued when Spike Lee signed on to direct.  And as one of the finest leading men in the business, Josh Brolin was a great get.  And he might be facing off against Christian Bale.  Okay, this could be pretty cool.  There’s still one more key role to cast, though: the female lead.  According to Twitch, Mandate wants Rooney Mara for the female lead, renamed Marie in the remake.  Terrific choice!

It’s way too early to celebrate.  First, there is no formal offer on the table.  Although, the last time we received a story like this from Twitch, they linked Brolin to Oldboy.  And second, I should really wait to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo before I coronate Mara.  But I bought 500 shares in Rooney Mara stock right after I walked out of The Social Network.  I’m in on Mara.

To be clear, Brolin is the only confirmed piece.  The hypothetical billing of Brolin, Bale, and Mara under Lee’s direction is just so tempting.  Read the synopsis for the Korean original after the jump.

We previously reported that Josh Brolin was the top choice to play the lead in Spike Lee’s remake of Park Chan-Wook’s 2003 Korean revenge flick, Oldboy.  Now Deadline is reporting that he’s got the job.  For those unfamiliar with the original, the story centers on a man who is abducted and imprisoned for 15 years with no idea why or by whom.  When he is suddenly released for seemingly no reason, he goes on a hunt to track down and kill those responsible for his imprisonment.  The original is a thoughtful, thrilling, and a fresh take on the revenge genre and I’m excited to see how Lee is going to handle the American version.  Getting Josh Brolin on board ain’t a bad start.

Deadline reports that Brolin just wrapped on Men in Black III and that he’s moving on to Ruben Fleischer’s Gangster Squad.  The plan is to then shoot Oldboy before moving on to co-star with Kate Winslet in Jason Reitman’s Labor Day, which starts rolling in June.

It looks like the remake of Chan-wook Park’s Oldboy has finally caught fire.  Yesterday, we reported that Spike Lee would direct the film and today we’ve learned some new details regarding the remake.  Twitch, who first broke the story about Lee’s involvment, reports that Mark Protosevich’s screenplay borrows not only from the original South Korean film but also from the manga that inspired it.  Furthermore, the screenplay is said to be similar to how The Departed adapted Infernal Affairs.  Protosevich’s script reportedly borrows some elements from the pre-existing works, jettisons others, and introduces new material.  The new material makes up about 20% of the remake’s screenplay.

Hit the jump for more details and Mandate’s top choice to play the revenge-driven protagonist.

Looks like everything is coming up Spike Lee.  On the heels of the news that he was underway on shooting the indie feature Red Hook Summer, Mandate has sent out a press release confirming that he’ll direct the remake of Chan-wook Park’s South Korean revenge thriller Oldboy.  Lee will direct from a screenplay by I Am Legend screenwriter Mark Protosevich.  For those unfamiliar with the original film, it’s about a man who is held captive for 15 years even though he doesn’t understand the reason for his capture or unexpected release.

While I’m baffled by what a remake could bring the table when the original film is so incredible, at least Mandate has gotten a real filmmaker like Lee on board and I’m at least interested to see his take on the material.  Hit the jump for the press release.

Much like its protagonist Oh Daesu, the remake of Chan-wook Park’s Oldboy is very hard to kill (provided the opponent is a thug in a long corridor).  Last November, we reported that Mandate Pictures was still interested in the remake and loved the script by Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend) turned in.  The studio was looking at Steven Spielberg, Matthew Vaughn, and Danny Boyle to take the director’s chair, but now a new name has gone on the list.  Twitch reports that Spike Lee is in talks to direct the film.  While I think an American remake of Oldboy is a bad idea, it could still be a hit and if it gives Lee the boost he needs to make more personal films, then so be it.

Back in 2009, Will Smith was reportedly interested in the lead role, but now that’s a laugh.  Quentin Tarantino wrote Smith a raw, challenging role for Django Unchained and Smith passed (Jamie Foxx will play the role instead).  It’s unlikely he would play the lead in a dark revenge thriller.  On the other hand, frequent Lee collaborator Denzel Washington would be a great choice.