Clive Owen And Mia Wasikowska In Talks For Oldboy

Director Spike Lee doesn't seem to be getting the cast he originally wanted for his American remake of Oldboy which is based on the manga and Korean film. Lee had Colin Firth in mind for the villain and Rooney Mara for the female lead, both passing. Twitch reports that Clive Owen (Children of Men) is in talks for the villain and Mia Wasikowska (Alice In Wonderland, Jane Eyre) could also join.

Could Colin Firth Join Spike Lee's Oldboy?

Twitch reports that Spike Lee is trying to get Colin Firth (Single Man, King's Speech, Tinker) to play the villain in his adaption of Oldboy. The film currently stars Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men) as the main character who is kidnapped and imprisoned only to be released years later. Rooney Mara (Dragon Tattoo) and Christian Bale had been rumored in the mix for roles but it was confirmed by Variety Mara has turned it down.

I Saw The Devil RED BAND Trailer

“I Saw the Devil” is a Korean revenge thriller about the death of a government agent’s girl-friend and his unbroken and almost sadistic will to make her killer suffer. The serial killer is played by “Old Boy” star Choi Min-sik and the government agent is played by Lee Byung-hyum ( Hero, GI Joe: Rise of Cobra). This film has been compared to Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance Trilogy (containing Oldboy). The director is Kim Ji-woon, who has found recent international success with his “The Good, The Bad, The Weird.” Considering, the great cast and proven director, I think this film will be an excellent grunge revenge tale and eventually get a successful US release. In recent years, Korean films have been slowly but increasingly finding an audience in the United States. More popular films that have been released in the US are, “The Host”, “Oldboy”, “My Wife is a Gagster”, “My Sassy Girl” and “II mare” (remade as The Lake House). I’ve seen both “The Host” and “Oldboy” and recommend them but with some small stipulations. “Oldboy” is excellent but extremely gruesome and not suitable for the squeamish and The Host has a unique take on the monster genre, with some impressive cinematic attributes; but its special effects and overall story were somewhat ungratifying.