It’s official. Mandate Pictures has announced that Spike Lee has been signed to direct a US remake of the 2003 South Korean film Oldboy (which kicks serious ass). Oldboy won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. Now it’ll be watered down for the American market. Mark Protosevich has adapted the screenplay and will co-produce.

Dan Freedman, SVP business affairs, negotiated the deals for Mandate. This is the project that Steven Spielberg and Will Smith were looking to collaborate on back in 2008, with DreamWorks seeking the remake rights at the time. The film originally was set up at Universal before Mandate took over. The story centers on a man who is kidnapped on his daughter’s birthday and held for 15 years in solitary confinement without explanation. He is eventually released and sets out on a path to take revenge on those who destroyed his life. [Deadline]

If any film should be left alone, it’s this. That or at least get David Fincher or Quentin Tarantino to direct it. At least they’d make a decent adaption. The last thing I need in that movie is a lecture on race relations. If Denzel Washington gets cast in this, you know he’s just going to phone this in.

While we’re on the subject of awesome Korean revenge films, I Saw the Devil is another fun one to check out.

Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are currently in talks to remake Chan Wook-Park’s masterpiece, OldBoy, the best installment in his revenge triology. Spielberg’s Dreamworks is currently negotiating for the remake rights. Variety reports:

Spielberg had been looking for an opportunity to make a film with Smith, who would play the kidnapped man if all the pieces fall into place. Spielberg is looking for a writer to begin the development process.

Hollywood sucks. They’ll bastardize this film. Writers will probably water this down for America and change the story to a man seeking revenge after being imprisoned for 15 years because the gun he gave away was used in a robbery-homicide involving some other guy’s daughter, completely eliminating the central theme of incest. Yay for Hollywood! I can’t wait!