It seems that lawyers are teaming with movie fans in an attempt to derail the proposed Oldboy remake. Put simply, the publishers of the original manga are suing the producers of the 2003 film, claiming that they had no right to pimp out the rights to whomever they pleased. Adding to the drama, producers Kim Dong-Ju and Big Egg (best name ever?), have disappeared. I think we should probably check the local hotels for men trapped in suitcases. Even with this legal hullabaloo, Reuters is reporting that the remake is moving forward. Of course they stress that this won’t be a remake of the film, but an adaptation of the manga, which appears to be very similar sans a couple of extreme detours. You would think this would help the manga creators in the court case though. Nonetheless, move ahead it will, with Will Smith still attached and Steven Spielberg still set to direct. This
David Baxter

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When it was first announced that Steven Spielberg and Will Smith were developing an American remake of Chan-wook Park's Oldboy with the screenwriter of Poseidon, fans freaked out. It was later revealed that the remake wasn't a remake at all, but an American adaptation of the original Japanese manga by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya, which Park's film was based on. Even though the book and the movie deviate from one another, fans were still not pleased. A couple weeks back we told you that Japanese publisher Futabasga was suing the Korean film production company Show East over the rights to remake the story in Hollywood. But apparently the project is still proceeding despite the legal battle. According to a new report from Reuters, South Korean sales company Cineclick Asia, which represented Show East's Oldboy in international territories, actually negotiated the remake deal with Universal. Of course, the rights
Peter Sciretta

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Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are moving forward with plans for a remake of Oldboy despite a complex, behind-the-scenes rights wrangle involving the Japanese publishers of the original manga and the Korean producers of Park Chan-Wook's 2003 cult hit. Futabasha, publisher of the manga by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya, has filed a case against Show East in Seoul, alleging the Korean company never had the right to negotiate a remake. The issue is further complicated by the fact that Show East has shut down and its CEO, Kim Dong-Ju, has disappeared. Big Egg, a co-producer of the ultra-violent revenge flick, has also closed up shop, and its former staffers are unreachable. "We haven't been able to confirm that Show East is bankrupt, and at this stage we're not sure what effect this will have on the legal case," said a spokesperson from Futabasha in Tokyo, who noted... More

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It's been several months since any news has trickled out regarding the planned remake of Oldboy which is in the hands of director Steven Spielberg and actor Will Smith, and now we know why. It's the subject of a complex, behind-the-scenes rights wrangle involving the Japanese publishers of the original manga and the Korean producers of Park Chan-Wook's 2003 cult hit.
Nonetheless, Reuters is reporting that Spielberg and Smith are "moving forward" with the planned redux even though the rights issue remains fuzzy and unresolved (legal proceedings began last week).
Futabasha, publisher of the manga by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya, has filed a case against Show East in Seoul, alleging the Korean company never had the right to negotiate a remake. Show East has shut down and its CEO, Kim Dong-Ju, has disappeared. Big Egg, a co-producer of the ultra-violent revenge flick, has also closed up shop, and its former staffers are unreachable.
The Woman In Black

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Director Steven Spielberg and actor Will Smith continue to develop an adaptation of Old Boy, based on the Japanese manga. DreamWorks, in one of its first moves in the wake of its November separation from Paramount, secured remake rights from Mandate, which remains involved in the project. The original Old Boy comic book was written by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya as the second installment of The Vengeance Trilogy, preceded by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, followed by Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. In 2003, Old Boy was adapted into a Cannes award winning Korean feature by director Park Chan-wook. In 2005, Dark Horse Comics purchased rights for an English translation of the book, with the entire series composed of a total of eight volumes. Premise of Old Boy follows 'Oh Dae-Su',locked up in a hotel room for 15 years without knowing his captor's motives. When he is finally released, he finds himself trapped in a web of conspiracy,

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In many people's opinion, Chan-wook Park is the best director working outside North America, and by "many people" I mean fanboys. His Vengeance Trilogy is already legendary, and even Steven Spielberg is hopping on the Park train with a planned remake of Oldboy, a film many consider Park's best. Until now. His latest film Thirst has been getting rave reviews across the board and recently picked up the Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. The film, which is about a failed...
Daniel Barna

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When it was first announced that Steven Spielberg and Will Smith were developing an American remake of Chan-wook Park's Oldboy with the screenwriter of Poseidon, fans freaked out. It was later revealed that the remake wasn't a remake at all, but an American adaptation of the original Japanese manga by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya, which Park's film was based on. Even though the book and the movie deviate from one another, fans were still not pleased. Well now fans can rest happy (at least for a bit) as AnimeNewsNetwork is reporting that Japanese publisher Futabasga is suing the Korean film production company Show East over the rights to remake the story in Hollywood. According to the report in Ann: Futabasha is suing to confirm the lack of a binding contract between the two parties, due to an alleged breach. Futabasha asserts that Show East violated its basic agreement with Futabasha,
Peter Sciretta

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Oldboy Director Chan-wook Park is bringing a little bit of sadistic carnage back to vampire lore with his upcoming Thirst and it couldn't come at a better time, what with all this silly recent romanticizing of creatures that by nature use humans as food. This being Park, however, the person who turns into a undead creature with an insatiable bloodlust is, of course, an honorable and kind priest. Check out how these two ideas clash in the red band trailer IGN recently posted. The priest's bloodlust starts on July 31st.
Omar Aviles

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Chan-wook Park is one messed up dude. If you.ve seen Oldboy, that.s less than news to you. He does things in his movies that most Americans wouldn.t be able to handle in the dirtiest of their pornography. His new movie looks no different. A take on the vampire genre, Thirst follows a priest as he is transformed into a bloodsucker after a failed medical experiment. It.s safe to say that this is not Twilight. IGN has a brand new red band trailer of the movie, and it looks terrifying and disgusting and awesome. I, for one, cannot wait. Check out the trailer below for yourself: More Thirst Info

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Korean director Chan-wook Park’s latest film entitled Thirst has finally been given a U.S. release date by Focus Features, the studio which owns the U.S. distribution rights. The vampire horror-drama will open on July 31st, 2009, starting off its U.S. screenings in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York, before moving onto a wider release.

 
Thirst recently won the prestigious Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival (tied with Fish Tank), and since its initial late April/early May release at home in Korea, it has been seen by over two million people and has since been sold to 20 countries across Asia, Europe and South America.
Thirst tells the story of a priest who accidentally becomes infected (read: turns into a vampire) when a medical experiment goes horribly wrong. The movie sounds suitably dark for director Chan-wook Park, the man behind Oldboy, Lady Vengeance and Sympathy for Mr.
Ross Miller

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