Beaks here...
I just returned from the MEN IN BLACK III junket (embargoed until May 21st, so don't bother asking), where I sat in on a roundtable interview with Josh Brolin. Of his many upcoming projects, I was particularly keen to get his thoughts on Spike Lee's forthcoming remake of OLDBOY, in which he will star as this film's version of Oh Dae-su (Sharlto Copley and Elizabeth Olsen have also been cast). Here's what he had to say when asked about the movie:
Josh Brolin: OLDBOY? (Laughs) Literally, you say OLDBOY and my stomach just goes [mimics violent churning noises]. OLDBOY will be an experience. It won't be like MEN IN BLACK, I'll tell you that much. I'm really happy about it. We've got amazing actors. We've got [Elizabeth] Olsen, who I think is fantastic. We've also got Sharlto Copley from DISTRICT 9, who I think is going to be unbelievable. He just wrote me an email, it was like, "Look, I've got to get this out of the way: dude, GOONIES is my favorite movie." Which I thought was really sweet. "And now I'm going to make twenty years of your life miserable."
I love OLBOY, and I'm close with Chanwook Park. I emailed him a couple of months ago to ask him for his blessing to do this movie - because if he'd said no, I wouldn't have done it. But I really respect his movie, and we'll make a little different movie. This whole idea of the more Hollywood version of it... whatever. We're going to make a different version, but have respect to the initial story and premise. But I'm looking forward to it, man. I'm talking it about it nervously because it makes me nervous.
Q: Will you keep the hammer fight?
Yes. And it's a hammer and knife and all that stuff. And will we keep the octopus and will we keep the other stuff? There are some changes, but I think it's really good. It still makes me throw down the script halfway through. [Mimics recoiling from the script in horror.] Whoa!
Brolin said he expects to start shooting the film in October 2012, once he finishes his work on Jason Reitman's LABOR DAY.
I understand a visual stylist like Spike Lee wanting to put his own spin on an iconic sequence like OLDBOY's hammer fight, but, man, he better bring his A game. As for remaking OLDBOY, if Spike has an interesting take on the film, I'm completely onboard. This was getting remade one way or the other. Might as well do it with a great filmmaker.
