With news coming through today that Clive Owen might be about to star in Spike Lee's remake of the 2004 Korean film Oldboy, Josh Brolin has be confirmed for the Americanised version of the acclaimed comic book turned film.
Christian Bale had been linked with the villain's role but Brolin has been officially confirmed in the lead. Deadline has learned that the Academy Award nominated Josh Brolin has signed on the dotted line which was rescued from development purgatory when Lee signed on earlier in the summer.
Chank-Wook's Oldboy told the macabre tale of Oh Dae-Su who was played by Choi Min-sik, a man who is kidnapped on his daughter's birthday and held prisoner in a single hotel room for fifteen years, not knowing who his captors are or why they are tormenting him. Dae-su spends those years training his body, so that upon his release, he is a killing machine able to track down and take bloody revenge on those who ruined his life. However, the man behind Dae-Su's imprisonment, Yu Ji-tae, isn't done tormenting his opponent just yet - and has an even more disturbing fate in mind for his victim.
Coming Soon have also released a plot synopsis for Lee's version of Oldboy. Brolin, who next appears on the big screen in Men In Black III, will play the part of Joe, Dae-Su Oh in the original, a man who, on the day his daughter is born is captured and imprisoned for over two decades with no understanding as to why. When he is suddenly released, he's told that he has just four days to determine the reason for his imprisonment and if he can't, his daughter will die.
This dark and gritty role seems perfect for Brolin's characteristics and he has plenty of experience in playing this kind of character. Lee's Oldboy has yet to start filming.
