Will Smith Says Oldboy Won’t be Adaptation of Chan-wook Park’s Film

Posted by Brian C. Gibson (brian@filmschoolrejects.com) on November 21, 2008

I just came home from a red carpet premier of Will Smith’s film Seven Pounds. The star is on a tour of premiers promoting the film which is starting to create some major Oscar buzz for the already twice-nominated superstar. I’ll have a full red carpet report later, but first, I was able to stop Smith for a few questions, and a couple laughs. One of the hottest topics for me is Smith’s involvement in Steven Spielberg’s acquisition of the rights for Oldboy, and the actor didn’t disappoint on the news front.

We reported on this news almost two weeks ago, but there is a big development from what the star was able to tell me. Fans have already made themselves heard about their distaste for Oldboy being remade and Smith being the man rumored to take the lead. Well, we heard it straight from the star’s mouth that he is definitely starring in Steven Spielberg’s Oldboy…with a twist. Smith wanted to make a very strong point that this is not an adaptation of Chan-wook Park’s 2003 film. So what is it an adaptation of?

We’re looking at that right now. Not the film though, it’s the original source material. There’s the original comics of ‘Oldboy’ that they made the first film from. And that’s what we’re working from, not an adaptation of the film…,” said Smith.

Apparently Spielberg wasn’t acquiring the rights to the film Oldboy, he was acquiring the rights to the original source material of the graphic novel ‘Oldboy.’ I guess the next question would be – what does this mean? This means that fans can rest a bit easier knowing that no one is trying to make a better Oldboy for an American audience. This means that Spielberg is free to truly adapt the source material and not try and copycat the brilliance of Park’s masterpiece. This also means that it will likely be an entirely different film, however, but the graphic novel is still very close to Park’s movie. So stay tuned as more details come in.

Check out the quote below. Now in Sound-o-Vision!

So how does this development leave you feeling? Still angry? Or optimistic?

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brandon

How can this possibly work? The Korean film was one of the darkest, most graphic and mind-blowing experiences I've ever had in cinema- I just can't see Will Smith starring in an R-rated film, cutting his own tounge out and having an incestuous affair unknown to him with his daughter. What we will probably get is a toned down, castrated film.

herculesisadore

It will work because it's based on a popular manga, and it will adhere more strictly to the manga concepts unlike the Korean film, which added very vulgar elements. You can be sure it won't have a tongue being cut out, because that wasn't in the manga, but that's not toning down the movie, it's just not making it more grotesque than the story (of the manga) was ever originally intended to be. That's not castration. That's restoration. No?

Josh_Radde

I wonder if they'll keep the whole Electra vibe...Those familiar with Freud know what Im talkin' about.

herculesisadore

They're not keeping anything from the movie. They're not even necessarily looking at the movie. It was a manga first.

Rob_Hunter

I'd enjoy the hardcore, but I agree with you that this incarnation could actually manage to be entertaining. Spielberg and Smith still have more hits than misses, so I'll give them a chance.

herculesisadore

I am VERY MUCH looking forward to it!

chewbacca1010

See, I don't think they do. In his old age, Speilberg is getting sentimental, so we end up with interesting and rather gruesome adaptations of War of the Worlds, where *spoilers* the kid ends up surviving, even though the majority of humanity didn't. Stevie needs to stop with the sappy endings already.

Mathieu Lalonde

Will Smith and Steven Speilberg... can you say "PG-13"?

Mike

"PG-13"... I agree. It'll be hard to pull it off with how f-up the material is, but Speilberg and Smith will find a way --- I'm kinda looking forward to this, but i don't think it will do well.

Whaler

called it....

Will Smith Says Oldboy Won’t be Adaptation of Chan-wook Park’s Film

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