Movies
‘Oldboy’ Remake (Unfortunately) Alive and Well
How do you top perfection? You attached Will Smith to star and get Steven Spielberg to produce – and yes, I’m being sarcastic. While a legal battle looms over the remake rights, the dynamic duo are still working hard at getting a remake of Park Chan-wook’s masterpiece Oldboy into theaters. You can read all about it below, and feel free to chime in and talk about what a travesty this is with other B-D members (maybe I’ll join ya’).
Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are moving forward with plans for a remake of “Old Boy” (it’s OLDBOY” fools!) despite a complex, behind-the-scenes rights wrangle involving the Japanese publishers of the original manga and the Korean producers of Park Chan-Wook’s 2003 cult hit.
Futabasha, publisher of the manga by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya, has filed a case against Show East in Seoul, alleging the Korean company never had the right to negotiate a remake.
The issue is further complicated by the fact that Show East has shut down and its CEO, Kim Dong-Ju, has disappeared. Big Egg, a co-producer of the ultra-violent revenge flick, has also closed up shop, and its former staffers are unreachable.
“We haven’t been able to confirm that Show East is bankrupt, and at this stage we’re not sure what effect this will have on the legal case,” said a spokesperson from Futabasha in Tokyo, who noted that legal proceedings had begun last week.
South Korean sales company Cineclick Asia, which represented Show East’s “Oldboy” in international territories, actually negotiated the remake deal with Universal.
Universal brought in Roy Lee’s Vertigo Entertainment, which has made a specialty of Asian film remakes, to produce the picture, and then Mandate acquired the rights from Universal.
DreamWorks, in one of its first moves in the wake of its November separation from Paramount, secured remake rights from Mandate, which remains involved in the project.
DreamWorks had no comment on the dispute between Futubasha and Show East.
Brand new shark attack horror movie The Devil’s Mouth debuts globally on Prime Video on July 29, and the streamer has released the brand new official poster this afternoon.
Kathryn Newton (Abigail, Lisa Frankenstein, Ready or Not 2), Lana Condor (Pretty Lethal), Nico Hiraga, Gavin Casalegno, Tommi Rose, and Tayme Thapthimthong star.
In the film, “Five friends set out on one last adventure along Thailand’s stunning coast, eager for a final thrill before life in the real world begins. They sign up for a guided swim through a remote cave system known as The Devil’s Mouth, a natural wonder that’s as breathtaking as it is unforgiving. Deep inside the labyrinth of narrow waterways, their journey takes a terrifying turn when they discover that a freak storm the week before flooded the caves with sea life.
“The creatures died in the fresh water, but something survived… and it’s hunting them now— fast, silent, and deadly. Every corridor they round is overflowing with anxiety, and every wrong turn becomes a deadly encounter. As panic spreads and their sense of direction slips away, the group begins to fracture.
“Trust erodes, fear takes over, and survival becomes a savage game. In the suffocating darkness, every choice could be their last as they learn that to make it out alive, sacrifices must be made.”
Jeff Wadlow (Truth or Dare, Imaginary) directs the shark attack movie from a script he revised from Aja Gabel (“Sunny”) and Myung Joh Wesner (“Star Wars: Skeleton Crew”).
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