FilmDistrict Picks Up Spike Lee's 'Oldboy;' Official Synopsis Reveals A Few Details

Good news for Spike Lee's new version of Oldboy: the film was picked up today by FilmDistrict, the company that released Drive. Along with that pickup comes some cast confirmation, so we know for certain that Josh Brolin will play a man kidnapped and imprisoned for years, Elizabeth Olsen will play the young woman he meets upon his release, and Sharlto Copley plays the villain. (Samuel L. Jackson and Nate Parker also have small roles.)

Along with that pickup comes an official press release, and in that release is a solid official synopsis for the film, giving us some new info about what changes Lee and screenwriter Mark Protosevich have made to the story. 

Here's the official line on the film:

OLDBOY follows the story of an advertising executive (Josh Brolin) who is kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement without any indication of his captor's motive.  When he is inexplicably released, he embarks on an obsessive mission to discover who orchestrated his bizarre and torturous punishment only to find he is still trapped in a web of conspiracy and torment. His quest for revenge leads him into an ill-fated relationship with a young social worker (Elizabeth Olsen) and ultimately to an illusive man (Sharlto Copley) who allegedly holds the key to his salvation.

I wonder if the use of the word "illusive" there is intentional — that is, does the synopsis mean to awkwardly say that Copley's character has an illusory quality? Or should it be "elusive"? Anyway, there are a couple other minor differences there: the lead character is held for 20 years rather than 15, and Olsen's character is a social worker rather than a chef.

Other changes that haven't been reported so far may be more significant. Protosevich said a year ago that there are changes deliberately meant to throw off those who are familiar with Park Chan-wook's South Korean film, and the manga that inspired it. Lee also said that the film might even be more intense than Park's original film,

The ending will be something that the audiences will all be...especially the fans of the original will be very happy with. In fact, some may consider it to be a bit darker.