Spike Lee is all set to start shooting his English-language remake of the Korean film Oldboy, he’s just waiting on studio Mandate Pictures to give him the go ahead.

Lee revealed that all he is waiting for is a green light for the project in a new interview with GQ stating, “You know they’re still trying to get the numbers straight, but I think it’s going to happen.”

The film is set to star Josh Brolin as a man who is mysteriously imprisoned for 15 years and then just as mysteriously released and who tries to find out who is captor was. Sharlto Copley and Elizabeth Olsen are also set to star. If you’ve seen the original film by Park Chan-Wook, you can probably guess the nature of their two roles, but I am not going to spoil it for those who haven’t seen it.

The original film, part of Park’s thematic “Vengeance Trilogy” has developed a following in the US, many of whom were upset over an English language remake and the possibility that Hollywood sensibilities would water down the film’s shocking ending. Producer Roy Lee addressed those fears about writer Mark Protosevich’s screenplay last November when he stated-

It’s very similar, but we’ve added new elements. Or, Mark Protosevich has come up with new elements to it that will throw off the audience who have seen the original movie because there are new characters and new situations that present themselves in a way that changes the story but eventually go in the same direction… The ending will be something that the audiences will all be…especially the fans of the original will be very happy with. In fact, some may consider it to be a bit darker.

Lee states that he hopes to have the film in production this fall.

A couple of weeks back we made mention of the fact that it appeared that Sharlto Copley had been offered the lead in the Spike Lee’s English-language remake of the Korean film Oldboy. The actor has since accepted the role and is now officially slated to appear in the film as Adrian Pryce, a man who orchestrates the fifteen-year-long imprisonment of Josh Brolin’s character Joe Douchett, leaving him to piece together the mystery as to why upon his release.

Previously, both Colin Firth and Clive Owen were offered the part but passed for various reasons. Elizabeth Olsen has been offered the lead female role of a social worker who tries to help Brolin’s character unravel the mystery of his imprisonment but there has been report if she has accepted the part.

The original film from director Park Chan-Wook has developed a following in the US, many of whom were upset over an English language remake and the possibility that Hollywood sensibilities would water down the film’s shocking ending. Producer Roy Lee addressed those fears about writer Mark Protosevich’s screenplay last November when he stated-

It’s very similar, but we’ve added new elements. Or, Mark Protosevich has come up with new elements to it that will throw off the audience who have seen the original movie because there are new characters and new situations that present themselves in a way that changes the story but eventually go in the same direction… The ending will be something that the audiences will all be…especially the fans of the original will be very happy with. In fact, some may consider it to be a bit darker.

The film is scheduled to get in front of cameras in late September.

Via Deadline.

Sharlto Copley has been offered the role of Spike Lee’s remake of the Korean thriller Oldboy, according to a report from Variety. If he accepts, the District 9 star will appear as a man who imprisons Josh Brolin for fifteen years and then releases him, leaving Brolin’s character to solve the mystery as to why.

Previously, both Colin Firth and Clive Owen were offered the part but passed for various reasons. Elizabeth Olsen has been offered the lead female role of a social worker who tries to help Brolin’s character unravel the mystery of his imprisonment but there has been report if she has accepted the part.

The original film from director Park Chan-Wook has developed a following in the US, many of whom were upset over an English language remake and the possibility that Hollywood sensibilities would water down the film’s shocking ending. Producer Roy Lee addressed those fears about writer Mark Protosevich’s screenplay last November when he stated-

It’s very similar, but we’ve added new elements. Or, Mark Protosevich has come up with new elements to it that will throw off the audience who have seen the original movie because there are new characters and new situations that present themselves in a way that changes the story but eventually go in the same direction… The ending will be something that the audiences will all be…especially the fans of the original will be very happy with. In fact, some may consider it to be a bit darker.

The big screen adaptation of the popular 1980s television series The A-Team began shooting in Vancouver last week, and we’ve already gotten our first glimpse of the cast at right. (I’m not sure about the graying up of Liam Neeson’s hair…) But can Liam Neeson and company step in to the shoes of George Peppard, Dirk Benedict, Dwight Schultz and, of course, Mr. T, as a group of soldiers of fortune who are persued by the military for a crime they didn’t commit? It was the same dilemma facing the cast of this summer’s Star Trek reboot and they managed to do it. Can lightening strike twice? Let’s take a look.

Liam Neeson as Captain John “Hannibal” Smith- The smiling and cigar smoking leader of the A-Team is a master of disguise and a cunning strategist. Neeson has played a number of characters that share similar traits in films from Darkman to last year’s Taken. While I think that Neeson might be a little intense as compared to George Peppard’s lighter take on the character, his casting is probably an indication that the movie will probably be less cartoonish than the television series.

Bradley Cooper as Templeton “Faceman” Peck- Cooper is certainly charming enough to pull off the role of the A-Team’s resident con-man, to the point where this casting seems pretty much like a slamdunk. The Hangover has shown he can pull of a quick talking smooth operator, and he while he certainly has a charm about him similar to the television series’s Dirk Benedict, Cooper’s is a bit scruffier than Benedict’s cleaner good looks. This is probably the strongest casting out of the four roles.

Quinton Jackson as B. A. Baracus- The Ultimate Fighting light-heavyweight champ will be taking over perhaps the most iconic role of the original series from bodyguard-turned-actor Mr. T. The problem is that B.A.’s character was pretty much the public persona of Mr. T himself. Can Jackson, with his limited acting experience bring something different to the role? While some of that might depend on the script, much of that rests on Jackson’s shoulders.

Sharlto Copley as “Howling Mad” Murdoch- Almost as unpredictable as the character himself is the casting of District 9’s Sharlto Copley as the A-Team’s reality-challenged pilot. Copley’s only film role before this was this summer’s District 9, which admittedly was an outstanding performance. But we’ve seen impressive debuts that have never fully lived up to their promise before – Napoleon Dynamite’s Jon Heder, anyone? – so we have to admit to being a bit wary about this one.