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.

With CinemaCon starting tomorrow in Las Vegas, I arrived earlier today to take pictures of the new posters on display.  For those unaware, CinemaCon is a convention put on for theater owners in order to get a look at what the studios have to offer for the rest of the year, and where vendors can show new products for theaters to buy.  It’s basically Comic-Con for theater owners.  Besides showing off never before seen footage, the studios often bring the cast and the filmmakers.  Over the course of a few days, Hollywood comes to Las Vegas.  So over the next few days expect tons of updates.  I’ll have new posters, thoughts on the new movie footage, and exclusives interviews.  It should be a fun week.

To start things off, I just spotted the first posters for Spike Lee’s Oldboy and James Wan’s Insidious: Chapter 2.  Hit the jump to check them out.

Opening this weekend is director Ruben Fleischer’s (Zombieland) Gangster Squad.  The movie is set in 1940s Los Angeles and stars Sean Penn as real-life gangster Mickey Cohen, who became the target of special task force known as the “Gangster Squad” made up of Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Peña, and Robert Patrick.  The film also stars Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, and Mireille Enos.  For more on the film, be sure to check out our set visit coverage here, and watch six clips.

During the recent Los Angeles press day, I landed an exclusive interview with Josh Brolin.  During our wide ranging conversation we talked about what the last few years have been like as he’s been in some high profile movies, how he got involved in Gangster Squad, what changed on set, future projects like Spike Lee’s Oldboy, Jason Reitman’s Labor Day, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sean Penn’s Crazy for the Storm, Pitz and Joe, Under and Alone, a possible project with Jessica Chastain, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to read.

When it was first announced that an American remake of director Park Chan-wook’s South Korean revenge film Oldboy was in the works, fans were understandably wary of the prospect.  Then Spike Lee signed on to direct.  If anything can be assumed of a Spike Lee film, it’s that it’s definitely not going to be a commercial cash-in.  Lee cares deeply about artistic integrity, so it’s with cautious optimism that his remake of Oldboy is being anticipated.

Steve sat down with star Josh Brolin last weekend to talk about his upcoming crime drama Gangster Squad, and the actor also took some time to discuss Oldboy.  During the interview, Brolin talked extensively about how Lee’s Oldboy differs from the original, reaching out to Park Chan-wook for his blessing, the action scenes, and he revealed that Lee shot some extended, improvised takes for Brolin’s scenes in the motel room.  The actor also talked a bit about writer/director Jason Reitman’s upcoming adaptation of Labor Day, in which he stars alongside Kate Winslet.  Hit the jump for the full comments.

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.

After a rather drawn-out development period, production is finally underway on director Spike Lee’s remake of director Park Chan-wook’s now-classic 2005 South Korean revenge film Oldboy.  Josh Brolin stars 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.

FilmDistrict announced today that the pic will open on October 11th, 2013.  There are currently no other films slated for release at that time, but it puts the redo in a great spot both for commercial success and awards consideration.  Samuel L. Jackson and James Ransone round out the impressive cast, and I can’t wait to see how Lee puts his spin on the material.

With Nate Parker (Red Tails) reportedly exiting Spike Lee’s Oldboy remake due to scheduling conflicts (with Non-Stop, starring Liam Neeson), the director has turned to a familiar collaborator in James Ransone (Sinister).  Oldboy will mark the third time the duo have worked together, following Lee’s Inside Man and Red Hook Summer.   Currently filming, Oldboy also stars Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Samuel L. Jackson and Sharlto Copely.  Variety reports that Ransone will play a doctor who works with Olsen’s character in the remake of Chan-wook Park’s revenge thriller, a story that centers on a man (Brolin) who escapes from a decade of imprisonment and goes in search of his kidnappers.  Ransone can next be seen in Broken City, along with Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg.

For news on John Leguizamo (The Lincoln Lawyer) joining Ice Cube and Kevin Hart in the action-comedy, Ride Along, hit the jump.

New set photos for James Mangold’s The Wolverine, Spike Lee’s Oldboy remake and Dean Parisot’s Red 2 have emerged today.  From Wolvie, we don’t get more shots of star Hugh Jackman, but we get a glimpse of Silver Samurai and of the actor playing him (Will Yun Lee).  There’s also a stuntman on hand to unleash the first look at Logan’s claws in action.  The Oldboy images put star Josh Brolin front and center and shirtless for the most part.  Red 2 shows off previous cast members Bruce Willis, John Malkovich and Mary-Louise Parker as well as new additions, Catherine Zeta-Jones and David Thewlis.  Pay special attention to Malkovich’s insane attire (he’s fabulous).

The Wolverine bows on July 26th, 2013. Lee’s Oldboy, also starring Samuel L. Jackson and Elizabeth Olsen, opens sometime next year. Red 2 is slated for an August 2nd, 2013 release.  Hit the jump to see the set photos.

Opening this Friday in limited release is writer/director Josh Radnor’s excellent drama Liberal Arts.  The film marks How I Met Your Mother star Radnor’s second directorial effort after 2010’s Happythankyoumoreplease and centers on a 35-year-old whose yearning for his glory days of college is intensified when he strikes up a romance with a 19-year-old college student (Elizabeth Olsen) over a shared love of music and literature.  The film simultaneously captures the essence of being young and free as well as the post-college feeling of thinking your best days may be behind you.  Radnor’s script is filled with insightful, funny characters that are perfectly embodied by the likes of Olsen, Richard Jenkins, Allison Janney, and Zac Efron.

During a recent phone interview with Elizabeth Olsen, who plays the young, soulful Zibby with the charm and emotion of an actress twice her age, she talked about how she first got involved with the project, her self-proclaimed literature nerdom, where she falls on the argument over reading as entertainment vs. enrichment, and working with a lead actor who was also the writer and director.  Olsen also talked briefly about Spike Lee’s Oldboy remake, confirming that they start filming in mid-October.  Hit the jump to read the interview.

No stranger to violent, auteur-driven films (ie. Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive), FilmDistrict has acquired U.S. distribution rights to director Spike Lee’s remake of Oldboy.  The film is a redo of Park Chan-wook’s now-classic South Korean revenge pic and stars Josh Brolin 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.  Lee has put together an impressive lead cast, with Elizabeth Olsen as the female lead and Sharlto Copley as “an illusive man who allegedly holds the key to his salvation,” but the director ran into a bit of trouble finding financing for the pic.  As such, word of FilmDistrict’s involvement is very good news indeed.

We recently heard that Samuel L. Jackson and Nate Parker were looking to join the cast, but the press release makes no mention of their involvement.  Chan-wook’s film is incredible but I’m interested to see Lee’s take on the material, especially how he handles the story’s more graphic/disturbing content. Oldboy is expected to be released in 2013, so luckily we don’t have to wait long to find out.  Hit the jump to read the press release, which includes a synopsis.

We’ve got a bit of casting news to share with you tonight.  Here it is at a glance:

• Emmanuelle Chriqui (Entourage) is in talks to star opposite Luke Wilson (Old School) in the indie sports comedy, The Million Dollar Man. 
• John Boyega (Attack the Block) is set to star in Creeping Zero, a sci-fi film from director Billy O’Brien (Isolation).
• Nate Parker (Red Hook Summer) is in talks to join Spike Lee’s remake of Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy. 

Hit the jump for more on each film. 

Word has been quiet on director Spike Lee’s remake of the Park Chan-wook film Oldboy as of late, but recent casting news seems to signal that the pic is indeed moving forward.  24 Frames reports that Samuel L. Jackson has joined the cast in a small but crucial role.  For those unfamiliar, Josh Brolin will play a man who is abducted and imprisoned for 15 years, after which he’s inexplicably released and sent on a hunt to track down those responsible for his imprisonment.  I won’t spoil the scene here for people that haven’t seen the original, but Jackson plays a man who is being tortured by the hero in a key revenge scene (hint: think dentist).

This new report also reveals that Bruce Hornsby will be scoring Lee’s Oldboy, with production set to begin this fall in Louisiana and New York.  Hornsby scored Lee’s most recent film, Red Hook Summer.  Brolin previously revealed that this new film has Park Chan-wook’s blessing and includes a few key scenes from the original.  The film also stars Sharlto Copley as the villain and Elizabeth Olsen as the female lead.

Today, the third Men in Black movie hits theaters.  Barry Sonnenfeld returns as director, and the story finds Will Smith’s Agent J traveling back in time to save Tommy Lee Jones’ Agent K.  Josh Brolin plays a younger version of Jones’ character, and does an incredible job; you’ll be totally convinced you’re watching a young Tommy Lee Jones.  During my interview with Brolin, we talked about his awesome performance, his first day on set, favorite movies, Fahrenheit 451, and future projects like Ruben Fleischer‘s Gangster Squad, Jason Reitman‘s Labor Day, Spike Lee‘s Oldboy, and Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Hit the jump to watch the interview.  Men in Black 3 also stars Jemaine Clement, Alice Eve, and Emma Thompson. In addition, make-up effects artist Rick Baker returns to the franchise and you can see some of his creature work here.  Click on the corresponding links for my conversations with Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith director Barry Sonnenfeld.  For more on the film, here’s all our previous coverage.

Like most of you, I’m incredibly excited/nervous about Spike Lee’s Oldboy remake.  Director Chan-wook Park’s 2003 South Korean revenge pic is an instant classic, and though I think Lee is certainly capable of great filmmaking, he’s had more than his fair share of flops.  Josh Brolin is set as the lead, Elizabeth Olsen has signed on as the female lead, and District 9 star Sharlto Copley recently landed the villain role.  We haven’t heard much about what Lee’s remake entails other than a promised “darker ending,” but Brolin recently talked quite a bit about the film and his hesitation to remake such a brilliant piece of work.  Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

Spike Lee’s exhausting search for the villain in his Oldboy remake may have finally come to an end.  After previously offering the role to Christian Bale, Colin Firth, and Clive Owen—all of who turned the part down—Variety now reports that District 9 star Sharlto Copley has been offered the role and is in early talks to sign on.  Josh Brolin is set as the lead and Elizabeth Olsen is onboard in the lead female role of Lee’s take on Park Chan-wook’s classic revenge pic of the same name.  For those unfamiliar, Brolin plays a man who is abducted and imprisoned for 15 years, after which he’s inexplicably released and sent on a hunt to track down those responsible for his imprisonment.  Many unexpected twists and turns ensue.  Hit the jump for more, including my thoughts on Copley landing the role.