Oldboy producer defends remake at NYCC

Spike Lee's upcoming remake of Chan-wook Park's celebrated 2003 horror has raised a few eyebrows, with fans and critics alike wondering why Hollywood has felt the need to reproduce a great film.

[Spike Lee's Oldboy red-band trailer unveiled]

Producer Mark Protosevich revealed the reason behind the decision at New York Comic Con this weekend. Joined at the panel by stars Michael Imperioli and Pom Klementieff, the producer told the audience: "I was presented with this opportunity… to work with a couple of people and it wasn't a situation I was gonna turn down."

Protosevich explained: "When the movie was announced, I appreciate and certainly I know there are people out there who are skeptical about our version. At one point, Justin Lin was going to direct it and I remember seeing that in the trades and as a fan of the original, my reaction was, 'Aw, really?' And so I understand that impulse. I get it.

"I'd written a 30-page treatment and you really start to see the movie in your head. It really started to resonate with me and it meant a lot to me to see this through."

[Filming Oldboy 'crazy' for Brolin]

The producer went on to insist that the reason behind the remake isn't simply about box office success and made a point of saying that the remake will be respectful to Park's original.

"A friend shared with me a comment from the Internet where the reaction was, 'Typical Hollywood bullsh*t! They’re exploiting an existing piece of art just to make money!' And I do take issue with that because I dare you to show me somebody who would watch that original film and afterwards go, 'We're gonna clean up on this!'" he said.

"We're just as psychologically screwed up, believe me. We all came from a place of honour and respect to the original. I love the original, and I think it's one of the great moviegoing experiences I ever had, and all of us involved were very much inclined to treat the material with as much honour and respect as we can."

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Protosevich also talked about some of the differences between the films, adding that he hoped audiences would be open to giving it a go.

"I think one of the things that is different in our script and one of the things that I most remember from the film was the period of incarceration. We actually spend a little more time there and we shot for a week straight on this set that was just a small little room and Josh going through various makeups and transformations that correspond to different periods."

"If you feel that way about it, that it shouldn't even exist, there's nothing I can say or we can do that is going to change that opinion probably, because that's a very sort of fundamentalist belief. I just hope that perhaps there's a part of people who are open to the experience."

[Buy Oldboy on DVD]

And the producer might just get his wish, as a three minute clip shown during the panel, which saw Joe Doucett (Josh Brolin), hammer in hand, set about taking his revenge on Samuel L. Jackson's Chaney impressed a rather vocal audience, according to reports.

Spike Lee's Oldboy hits UK cinemas on Friday 6 December.