After over two decades since its theatrical debut, Park Chan-wook’s acclaimed South Korean action thriller Oldboy will officially be getting an English-language series adaptation.
Lionsgate Television has announced that they’re currently developing a TV adaptation of 2003’s Oldboy movie, with Park attached as its producer. The project will also be produced by Syd Lim with Courtney Mock and Tara Joshi overseeing in behalf of the studio. This marks the filmmaker’s latest American series after working on 2018’s The Little Drummer Girl, the ongoing Snowpiercer series, and the recently released HBO drama The Sympathizer.
“Park is one of the most visionary storytellers of our generation, and we’re excited to partner with him in bringing his cinematic masterpiece to the television screen,” Lionsgate Television executive Scott Herbst said in a statement. “This series adaptation of Oldboy will feature the raw emotional power, iconic fight scenes and visceral style that made the film a classic.”
What is Oldboy about?
Oldboy was directed by Park Chan-wook from a screenplay he co-wrote with Hwang Jo-yun and Lim Joon-hyung. The Cannes Grand Prix-winning film starred acclaimed South Korean actor Choi Min-sik, who portrayed the role of Oh Dae-su. After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Dae-su is finally released, only to find that he must seek out his captor in five days. Choi was joined by Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jung, Kim Byeong-ok, Oh Dal-su, and Yoon Jin-seo.
The film served as the second installment to Park’s The Vengeance Trilogy following Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) and preceding Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005). The upcoming Oldboy series won’t be the first time that the South Korean movie had received an English remake. In 2013, Spike Lee directed MCU stars Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen in the American remake of Oldboy.
