Josh Brolin talks Spike Lee’s Oldboy remake, confirms Elizabeth Olsen’s role

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Spike Lee’s remake of Chan-wook Park’s OLDBOY has been stuck in pre-production hell for some time, but now that the main cast is all but set, it looks like the thing is actually going to make it into theaters sooner or later. SlashFilm recently had a chance to chat with Josh Brolin, who will star as the movie’s main protagonist, taking over after Min-sik Choi. The actor had some interesting stuff to say on the cast (confirming the rumor of Elizabeth Olsen’s involvement) and the way the remake will approach the original story. Read on below to find out what Brolin had to say…

On the movie’s cast:

Oldboy will be an experience, man. It wont be like Men In Black, I’ll tell you that much. I’m really happy about it. We’ve gotten amazing actors: Liz Olsen, who I think is fantastic and we also got Sharto Copley from District 9 who I think is going to be unbelievable.

On his affection for the original Oldboy:

I love Oldboy and I’m close with Chan-wook Park and I emailed him a couple months ago, just asking for his blessing to do this movie becuase if he had said ‘No,’ I wouldnt have done it. But I really respect his movie and we’ll make a little different movie and this whole idea of a more Hollywood version of it? Whatever. We’re just going to make a different version but have respect to the initial story and premise. I’m looking forward to it, man. I’m talking about it nervously right now because it makes me nervous.

On whether the original’s infamous ‘hammer scene’ will make a comeback:

Yes, by the way. Yes. And it’s a hammer and knife and all that stuff. And then will we keep the octopus, will we keep the other stuff? There’s some changes but I think it’s really good. It still makes me throw down the script half way through. Whoa.

I have to say, I still think remaking Oldboy is a pretty bad idea. Chan-wook Park’s original is simply perfect for what it is and even with such a stellar cast, I don’t see Spike Lee’s version topping it. Still, it’s good to hear that Brolin has such strong feelings for the source material and that it’s not going to be a straight-up ‘westernized’ carbon copy of the Korean flick.