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Nov 26, 2013 By Austin Trunick Web Exclusive

Director Spike Lee’s latest, Oldboy, is a departure for the veteran filmmaker. This time around, he’s tackling a Hollywood remake of a South Korean cult classic. Park Chan-wook’s violent 2003 original was based on a Japanese manga series, and tells the tale of a former businessman who seeks revenge on the people who kept him imprisoned in a single hotel room for over a decade.

Park Chan-wook’s film was championed in the U.S. by Quentin Taranatino and Roger Ebert, and picked up a rabid following among Asian cinema fans. When it was announced a Hollywood remake was being made—originally to star Will Smith and be directed by Steven Spielberg—there was a considerable backlash from its fans, who saw a new version almost as blasphemy.

“I know there’s a lot of talk about, why remake the original?” says screenwriter Mark Protosevich. “And I understand that reaction because people who love the original are incredibly devoted to it. It’s almost like a fundamental religious belief in some ways, with the appreciation of that film. Before I became involved, I remember my initial reaction was, oh really?” He laughs. “My involvement started because Will Smith called me up and said I want you to write my next movie. It’s going to be Oldboy and Steven Spielberg is going to direct it. Can you come out and meet Steven? So that’s a call where I say sure!”

That deal fell apart in a typical Hollywood fashion; Spielberg and Smith dropped from the production. The producers wanted to continue forward progress on the film, and eventually brought Spike Lee and actor Josh Brolin on board. Lee was already a fan of the original film when he signed on for the project.

“I felt I’d never seen anything like it before in my life,” says Lee.

He had his star in Josh Brolin, but he needed his female lead. Elizabeth Olsen was cast. Lee had seen her in Martha Marcy May Marlene, in which he felt she played a similarly tricky role, and chose her for the complex, troubled Marie in his Oldboy. Unlike Lee and Protosevich, Olsen hadn’t seen the original before getting involved with the remake.

“My brother told me about Oldboy, and he was embarrassed to have me as his sister until I saw it,” says Olsen. “I read the script, and that was enough for me to be obsessed with this story. I was so shocked, I was heartbroken. And then I saw the movie, and my brother was right: it’s basically the perfect movie. So why remake it? But people retell Greek tragedies all the time, people retell Romeo & Juliet and Hamlet. If it’s a good story, it’s a good story. I have a feeling this same story is going to be told again in ten, twenty years. I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Spike Lee’s felt Oldboy’s story was so strong, it would have no trouble translating to international audiences.

“We never thought of this as far as nationality,” says Lee. “We never said, oh, this worked in Korea, but it’s not going to work in America. That never came up. It was always on the story: how do we make this work? We never had a thought [saying] we have to translate Asian film to American audiences. Other people may have thought of that, but not us.”

In the end, all three feel their take on Oldboy will stand on its own, separate from the South Korean version. Protosevich hopes this Hollywood remake will attract newcomers to seek out the original.

“There’s really nothing quite like it,” says Protosevich. “In talking to people who haven’t seen the original Oldboy who’ve seen our version, it gets that same kind of response. I’m glad it’s successful in that regard. I think it will still play incredibly powerfully for people who haven’t seen the original … When you get to those final scenes, it’s like, whoa—you don’t forget that experience. I love the original, and we tried to come at this from a place of respect and honor. I understand some people think it’s almost like blasphemy to attempt doing another version. But then, should any film be remade?”