Many have criticized Hollywood's baffling decision to remake Park Chan-wook's Oldboy, the 2003 Grand Prix winner at Cannes. But the recent trailer for the film, which will be helmed by Spike Lee, looks pretty good.
If you'd like to see your daughter alive again, answer two questions. One: why did I imprison you for twenty years and two: why did I let you go?
Cinephiles and fanboys protested when the much-talked about remake of Park Chan-wook's classic, Oldboy, finally got the green light with Spike Lee directing. Will Smith was famously approached for the challenging lead role of Oh Dae-su (made famous by Choi Min-sik in the original) but turned it down. The underrated and usually understated Josh Brolin has stepped into the lead role of Joe Doucett (the hero in the remake).
The core details of the plot still appear to be the same. Doucett is a businessman who is kidnapped on his daughter's birthday and wakes up imprisoned in what appears to be a hotel room. With no way out, Doucett discovers through the television that his wife has been murdered and that he is the prime suspect. Locked up for 20 years, Doucett is driven to the brink of madness. He is released without explanation and tasked by his captor to discover why he was imprisoned. If he fails, he is assured that his daughter will be murdered. Doucett goes on a mission of vengeance and brutal discovery as the tries to spare the lives of his loved ones (including Elizabeth Olsen).
While we remain skeptical, we have to admit that five things about the trailer make us feel that this remake could turn out okay.
Josh Brolin: Leading Man Though we're fans of Will Smith, we weren't exactly crying over spilt milk when he turned down the project. Brolin will work just fine. He is a character actor to the core but with the look of an old-fashioned leading man. Known for being a little rough around the edges, Brolin is very believable as the complex Doucett, a man driven to violent extremes as he seeks to satisfy his need for revenge and his desire to know the truth.
The Spike Lee Touch Like all auteurs, Spike Lee has a group of players, both on and off-screen, whom he is comfortable with. We were delighted to see both Michael Imperioli (Jungle Fever, Malcolm X, Summer of Sam) and Samuel L. Jackson (School Daze, Do the Right Thing, Jungle Fever, Mo'Better Blues) included in the film's already impressive cast. Bruce Hornsby (who worked on Red Hook Summer) is also doing the score for OldBoy.
Though the remake seems to pay pretty close attention to the original, Lee manages to include some of his trademark techniques such as news bulletin clips. Images of the destruction of Hurricane Katrina are prevalent, as are Lee's political preferences, as indicated by the news footage of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
Pays Homage to the Original It's clear that Lee and his production team have watched Oldboy and read the original manga the film is based off of a few times. The trailers from the original and the remake share many similar images (like the one you see above). Every indication is that Lee is going out of his way to respect the vision of Park Chan-wook and the fervor of the original film's fanbase by paying appropriate tribute to the original. Some may call it stealing, but they would be wrong.
From Seoul to New Orleans New Orleans is quickly becoming one of the big screen's most engaging characters. As is evident from movies like Johnny Handsome, D j Vu, Skeleton Key, and Bullet to the Head, the city lends itself to be filmed in a variety of ways. In keeping with his pledge to help strengthen the economy of New Orleans, Spike Lee fittingly chose to film there. Plus, the rebuilding city has plenty of dark corners for the seedy characters in Oldboy to lurk in.
Face Off: Jackson vs. Brolin Needless to say, we're pretty pumped about the showdown between an unbalanced Brolin and the bound Samuel L. Jackson. With the mighty Jackson tied up and at the mercy of Brolin, only his motor mouth can save him as he scrambles to dissuade Doucett from slitting his throat. We can't want to see the full confrontation unfold.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
Many have criticized Hollywood's baffling decision to remake Park Chan-wook's Oldboy, the 2003 Grand Prix winner at Cannes. But the recent trailer for the film, which will be helmed by Spike Lee, looks pretty good. 
