One thing we haven’t been sure of when it comes to the remake of Park Chan-Wook’s OLDBOY is whether or not he is actually involved with Spike Lee‘s production. I’m sort of surprised this hasn’t already come up, especially since the fan outcries of the remake have not been favorable. Someone let me know if the general opinion on this topic has changed.
When speaking with the director on his latest, STOKER, The Wall Street Journal wondered if Chan-Wook had been taking part in the remake:
I’m involved in the film as much as how I’d like if I were doing a remake of another filmmaker’s film, how I’d like that original filmmaker to be involved in my remake. That, in other words, is nothing. I’m not involved. I don’t really want to know anything about it. I want to close my eyes and close my ears to the remake. I want to go to the cinema as soon as it’s out and I want to be amazed.
Gotta admire his positive outlook. Plus, if it is bad, he can just go back to closing his eyes and his ears. Chan-Wook is right though. If someone wants to take a work that’s already been done, and redo it for whatever reason, then they should take full responsibility of it and make it their own (Did I not just say this about Whedon and Star Wars?!). There’s no point in doing a remake if you are just going for the same perspective. Then there would be no point of it at all. Not to mention that the director pulled the material from Garon Tsuchiya’s manga, and as I said, made it into his own vision.
I’m wondering now when we will get something from Lee’s version.