Way back in May we learned that another one of Park Chan-wook's films was getting the remake treatment with SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE in the works. With a director now on board it looks like this one is definitely happening whether we like it or not. According to The Wrap, Hany Abu-Assad will direct the English-language remake of SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE, the Park Chan-Wook film that kicked off the South Korean filmmaker’s “Vengeance Trilogy”. The script was written by BROKEN CITY scribe Brian Tucker and centers on two men who are bound by their common sense of loss and headed on a collision course of revenge.
Unable to afford proper care for his sister dying from kidney failure, Ryu turns to the black market to sell his own organs only to end up cheated of his life savings. His girlfriend urges Ryu to kidnap the daughter of wealthy industrialist Dong-jin, who recently laid him off. Ryu agrees, but unforeseen tragedies turn an innocent con into a merciless quest for revenge. Bound by their personal losses and deep-seated anger, the two men are thrust into a spiral of destruction.
We've already seen OLDBOY get remade so this news might be an easier pill to swallow for fans of the original trilogy — but I doubt it! Something tells me they won't be getting nearly the amount of star power that Spike Lee's OLDBOY has, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Right now they are currently on the hunt for the leading roles so we'll be sure to keep you in the loop once this one gets rolling!