While Spike Lee and the team behind “Oldboy” haven’t yet found their leading lady, you gotta at least respect that they are going for some pretty solid talent. Rooney Mara was the first one to be offered the female lead in the film, before passing on it while Mia Wasikowska was also sought to join before the end of the year. Alas that didn’t work out either, as yet another offer is going out, this time to rising “Martha Marcy May Marlene” star and recent Spirit Award nominee Elizabeth Olsen.
The part is for Marie, an integral role that we can’t really talk about too much without getting into spoilers, but it’s a tough part, one that Olsen has proven she could take on and of everyone mentioned so far, would arguably be the best fit. Josh Brolin is still on board in the lead, but the project has also had a hard time nailing down a villain with Colin Firth and Clive Owen both circling but ultimately not comitting. In fact, the casting issues have forced the production to be pushed back to late summer or early fall — so really, still a lot of time to cast this right (and we’re glad they’re not rushing this out of the gate).
And while generally speaking this would be the kind of remake that would get under our skin, with Lee at the helm we’re curious about what his energy and style would lend to it, and with screenwriter Mark Protosevich drawing on both the previous movie and the mangas, we’re intrigued about how the story may change and shift in this version. But before we can find out more, we’ll just have to wait and see how the casting plays out. [Twitch]