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Posted by LadyPSerenity in News Articles June 26, 2009 at 07:54:19 PM

Despite Japanese publisher's case vs. Korean studio, Director Spielberg and actor Will Smith are still moving forward with Dreamworks' plans to remake Park Can-Wook's manga-based Oldboy film. The lawsuit is between the film's Korean studio, Show East, and the manga's Japanese publisher, Futabasha and is over the Hollywood remake rights.

Reuters reports that Show East and it's production partner Big Egg (who comes up with these names?) have both shut down. CEO of Show East, Kim Dong-Ju, has reportedly "disappeared" and Big Egg's former staffers are also unreachable. A spokesperson for Futabasha acknowledged that the publisher cannot confirm if Show East is bankrupt or how that status will affect the lawsuit.

The remake deal has already been on circuitous journey throughout Hollywood. Cineclick Asia of South Korea initially negotiated the deal with Universal Pictures on behalf of Show East. Then Universal partnered with Vertigo Entertainment, the same production company that has developed or is developing the remakes of Death Note, Ju-on (The Grudge), Dark Water, Nankyoku Monogatari (Eight Below), Siworae (The Lake House), Infernal Affairs (The Departed), Gin gwai (The Eye), Shutter, My Sassy Girl, Jungdok (Possession), Sigaw (The Echo), and Janghwa, Hongryeon (The Uninvited). (Vertigo Entertainment has no relation with DC Comics' Vertigo imprint or the United Kingdom's Vertigo Films.) Yet another film studio, Mandate Pictures, bought out Universal's remake rights. Mandate Pictures, in turn, partnered with Dreamworks, the studio that Spielberg founded in 1994.

After Spielberg's involvement was made public, Will Smith told the Film School Rejects website (November) that Spielberg's team was adapting the original Oldboy manga, and not remaking Park's film version. The manga was published by Dark Horse comics and ran from 2006 to 2007 winning an Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material - Japan in 2007.

Source: Anime News Network

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