Don't get me wrong -- the original Oldboy is amazing. The second in Chan Wook-park's Vengeance Trilogy (bookended by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and (Sympathy for) Lady Vengeance), it tells the story of a man who is kidnapped and held prisoner for 15 years, and goes searching for the man who arranged it. But getting to watch the movie again for, essentially, the first time is intriguing, and I think that it will make more people seek out the original. Also, if they keep all of the story elements, it will turn Smith's public image on its ear. I'm not going to tell you how the original movie ends (you all know where Wikipedia is), but if that ending remains intact, Will Smith-loving America's head will explode, followed shortly by his publicist's.

Variety says that the pair are still in early discussions, and that a writer has not been found yet. But could Spielberg and Smith be so moved by a movie that, in order to remake it, they would remove the crux of the whole film to assuage mainstream American sensibilities? I really have no idea, but I hope not. Mainly, because the new movie would not have the bite that the original did, but also because I think Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and (Sympathy for) Lady Vengeance would make good remakes, as well. But not with Spielberg -- no, I'd sic the Coen Brothers on Mr. V, and Eli Roth on Lady V. At least I know for sure that those guys wouldn't remove anything just because it made people uncomfortable.