“Oldboy” is gearing up for the small screen.
Alongside Lionsgate Television and his producing partner Syd Lim, Park Chan-wook is developing an English-language series based on his 2003 film “Oldboy.”
The film was adapted from Garon Tsuchiya’s Japanese manga of the same name, and the psychological thriller follows Dae-su Oh as he’s abducted and imprisoned for 15 years. When he is suddenly released, he is given the opportunity to hunt down his captor, with a ticking timeline of 5 days.
“Oldboy” is the second in Park’s thematically-linked Vengeance Trilogy, with “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance” preceding “Oldboy” and “Lady Vengeance” following it. Narratively, the films are not connected. Instead they share similar themes of revenge, violence and above all, vengeance. This new series is not the only adaptation of the film, as it was also remade in 2013 by Spike Lee, with Josh Brolin in the starring role.
Park produced and directed the HBO Original “The Sympathizer,” which was released last Sunday, April 24. Later this year, his film “Uprising” is set to premiere on Netflix. Park is also known for his 2022 feature “Decision to Leave,” which won him the Best Director award at Cannes.
With Park at the helm, “Oldboy” is coming back with a vengeance.
