Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance Remake Gets a Director
Posted by Daniel Mann
The remake to Park Chan-Wook’s grim revenge thriller Sympathy for Mr Vengeance is finally moving ahead so it would seem. The Wrap is reporting that the American remake has finally obtained a Director in the form of Hany Abu-Assad. Most known for his 2006 Golden Globe winning film Paradise Now, the suspenseful and heartbreaking tale of two Palestinian men whom plotted to carry out a suicide attack in Israel.
The original Korean film told the bleak tale of a deaf-mute man whose attempt to pay for his sister’s kidney transplant unravels a series of unfortunate and tragic events that lead all roads to vengeance.
The English language remake has been re-scripted by Broken City screenwriter Brian Tucker and is being financed by Bonaventura Pictures with the co-operation of the original Korean financier CJ Entertainment. No word on casting decisions or even a release date outside of the tentative 2014.
Sympathy for Mr Vengeance is not the first of Park Chan-Wook’s acclaimed ‘vengeance’ trilogy to receive the remake treatment. Park’s most critically acclaimed and arguably his most famous film Oldboy has already received the remake treatment with Spike Lee’s English language version hitting cinemas later this year.
In many circles, Mr Vengeance is considered to be the bleakest and most grimly despairing of Park Chan-Wook’s ‘vengeance’ trilogy. It’s definitely not for the faint heart or the weak of stomach. Making it all the more a curious choice for a remake. It was a financial flop in its homeland, easily attributed to its considerably off-putting bleak nature, yet it was something of a critical darling.
For my money, it was the best of the ‘vengeance’ trilogy and I do have to question why this remake is happening in the first place? Still, the choice of Hany Abu-Asad is a curious and out of left field choice that could hold potential promise for this remake. Let us know your thoughts below. Is this a good choice or a bad choice?
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