Park Chan-wook's 'Oldboy' to be adapted as English-language television series

Korean director Park Chan-wook [NEWS1]

Korean director Park Chan-wook has partnered with Hollywood’s Lionsgate Television to adapt his acclaimed thriller “Oldboy” (2003) into an English-language television series, Lionsgate Television announced on April 17.

The studio said in a news release that Park, who directed and co-wrote the original film, will produce the series alongside his producing partner Syd Lim, adding that executives Courtney Mock and Tara Joshi will oversee the project.

“Park is one of the most visionary storytellers of our generation, and we’re excited to partner with him in bringing his cinematic masterpiece to the television screen,” Scott Herbst, executive vice president and head of scripted development for Lionsgate Television, said in the release. “This series adaptation of ‘Oldboy’ will feature the raw emotional power, iconic fight scenes and visceral style that made the film a classic.”

A scene from Park's ″Oldboy″ (2003) [CJ ENM]

Park’s “Oldboy” is the country’s first film to win the Grand Prix of the Jury at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. The film is an adaptation of the Japanese manga of the same name written by Garon Tsuchiya. It follows Oh Dae-su (played by Choi Min-sik), a man who is imprisoned in a tiny hotel room for 15 years. He is suddenly released and is given five days to discover why he was imprisoned. The cast includes Choi, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jung and Oh Dal-su.

“Lionsgate Television shares my creative vision for bringing ‘Oldboy’ into the world of television,” Park said in a statement. “I look forward to working with a studio whose brand stands for bold, original and risk-taking storytelling.”

This will not be the first English-language adaptation of Park’s “Oldboy.” An American film version starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley, Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Imperioli, and directed by Spike Lee, was released in 2013.

Park is known for his Korean cinema classics and critically acclaimed films such as “Lady Vengeance” (2005), “The Handmaiden” (2016) and “Decision to Leave” (2022). He made his TV directorial debut with the espionage drama “The Little Drummer Girl” (2018). His recent work in directing the TV drama series “The Sympathizer,” featuring Robert Downey Jr., is currently airing on HBO in the United States and will be available to viewers in Korea through Coupang Play this month.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]