Mon Nov 24, 2008 — by Robert Greenberger

'Oldboy' Said to Adapt Manga

Spielberg and Smith to go to the Original Source Materal

Just the other day we were talking about Steve Spielberg and Will Smith teaming up for the English language adaptation of the South Korean hit Old Boy. Additional details have been coming out with The Hollywood Reporter saying Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend) will likely be the screenwriter. Smith, who acted in the film, recommended Protosevich for the gig.

Smith told  Film School Rejects that rather than do a new version of Chan-wook Park’s award-winning 2003 film, they will start with the same source material,  Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi’s Manga.

"We're looking at that right now. Not the film though, it's the original source material. There's the original comics of Oldboy that they made the first film from. And that's what we're working from, not an adaptation of the film" Smith told them.

The Manga was published in America over eight volumes by Dark Horse Comics.

Dark Horizons notes, “Though similar, there's some notable differences between the graphic novel and the darker original film with its darker elements from live eating of octopii to brother-sister incest.”

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