The Oldboy triumvirate is getting closer to completion as Colin Firth is in talks to take on the role of the film’s villain, Adrian. With Josh Brolin currently set to star in the American remake of the 2003 Korean cult favorite, Firth’s joining would leave one last major role open, which was turned down by The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo star Rooney Mara a month ago.
Twitch has nothing but the character's name, but Firth could make a fine choice if the update sticks to the blueprint of the original. If you’ve seen Oldboy, you’ll remember the manipulative Woo-jin (Yu Ji-tae) for his graceful yet authoritative mannerisms, which would be well within the range demonstrated by Firth in his previous works, only with the added kick of a seething revenge-lust against Brolin’s character.
The road to getting an Oldboy remake in front of American audiences has been a tricky one, with Will Smith, Steven Spielberg and Justin Lin attached to the project at some point over the last three years. Many wondered who would face the task of living up to the high bar set by the original’s prolific director, Park Chan-wook, but Spike Lee emerged as Madate Pictures’ choice for the director’s chair back in July.