UPDATE! Elizabeth Olsen offered the female lead in Spike Lee’s Oldboy

UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed Twitch’s original report and says that Olsen is indeed in talks and looking likely to sign onto the project. They also add this description of her role: “Olsen has the offer to play the part of the caseworker who helps investigate the past of the character being played by Brolin, a man kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years and inexplicably released.”

February 29, 2012: Filmmaker Spike Lee’s impending OLDBOY remake has been having a hell of a time hammering out its cast. Josh Brolin (MEN IN BLACK III) came aboard early on as the film’s male lead, but the key remaining roles have to this day remained unfilled, with names such as Christian Bale, Clive Owen, Rooney Mara, and Mia Wasikowska all having passed, for one reason or another, on their respective offers.

Now, according to Twitch, the latest actress to appear before us as a potential for the film’s leading female role of ‘Marie’ is Elizabeth Olsen, the “lesser known” Olsen sister who surprised the heck out of everyone with her brilliant turn in the equally brilliant MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE last year. Olsen is a tremendous choice, and according to Twtich, it appears she has time in her current schedule to plausibly work the project in.

A big question, though: why has it been so hard to commit actors to this project? Is it simply scheduling conflicts, or are there bigger problems at play, either with Mark Protosevich’s script or perhaps even Lee’s overall vision for the film? I hope it’s neither of those, but you can’t help but wonder at this point.