Legendary South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook and Lionsgate Television are teaming up to develop an English-language television version of Park’s classic film Oldboy. Originally a manga sensation from 1996, Oldboy soared to global fame with Park’s cult classic movie adaptation. The show intends to offer a fresh take on the narrative, which was partially inspired by a manga of the same name.
Although a release date has not been declared, the information is based on a public statement made by Lionsgate Television on April 17. Park Chan-wook, who helmed and co-wrote the first version of Oldboy, is returning to the project as a producer alongside his producing partner, Syd Lim.
Hollywood Reporter was informed by Park that Lionsgate Television “shares my creative vision for bringing Oldboy into the world of television.”
“I look forward to working with a studio whose brand stands for bold, original and risk-taking storytelling.”
Speaking to ComicBook.com, Scott Herbst, an executive at Lionsgate Television, stated that Park is one of the most visionary storytellers of our time and that the company is thrilled to collaborate with him to bring his cinematic masterpiece to the small screen.
“This series adaptation of Oldboy will feature the raw emotional power, iconic fight scenes and visceral style that made the film a classic,” Scott added.
Lionsgate Television’s executive Courtney Mock and Tara Joshi will be in charge of the Oldboy series. While a 2013 film rendition starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, and Samuel L. Jackson was adapted for the big screen, this new project is the first time the story has been adapted for an English-language television series.
The same-titled Japanese manga, penned by Garon Tsuchiya, was adapted into a film in 2003. It centres on Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), a man who was apprehended and held captive for fifteen years. Unexpectedly freed, he finds out he has five days to find out why he had been imprisoned or face the repercussions.
When it was originally released, the film—one of the most captivating, unforgettable dark action films of the 2000s—started a new trend in Korean action filmmaking. Since then, countless imitations and tributes have been made to it, especially of its gory, one-take hammer-in-a-hallway combat scene, which continues to be widely referenced by filmmakers as an inspiration for their own versions of confined-space fighting sequences.
The movie was hailed highly when it was first released and is now considered by many to be among the greatest films of the twenty-first century.
Park also produced Snowpiercer in its TV and film forms, and he directed films including The Handmaiden, Stoker and most recently Decision to Leave. In addition, he created and directed HBO’s newest limited series, The Sympathiser, and directed the miniseries The Little Drummer Girl.
