Steven Spielberg has made an unrivaled prominence in Hollywood. For almost five decades, he continued to astound audiences with his bold and eclectic directing choices, even affecting (positively) the careers of some actors, Will Smith being one of them. The actor’s popularity in the business was boosted by Spielberg’s position as an executive producer on the hit picture Men in Black. So obviously, there have been continuous rumors about their much-awaited collaboration throughout their careers.

It is a well-established cinematic practice for directors to explore reworking popular foreign-language films that have had a substantial influence. One such example is Park Chan-wook’s iconic action hit, which has also been the subject of rumors of a possible remake.

The Will Smith and Steven Spielberg collaboration for this dark and brutal remake

The rumors spiked around November 2008, when the hit Park Chan-wook’s neo-noir, Oldboy, was in rounds for a remake. The action classic is based on the Manga series by Garon Tsuchiya that follows the protagonist who remains for 15 years of his life in a cell only to be released later. On finding the identity of his captor, the movie unfolds another narrative.

After its release, it garnered much attention from Hollywood eyeing an American remake starring Smith and directed by Speilberg.

Oldboy, being a dark and gruesome film, was not something that Spielberg would deal with. On the other hand, Will Smith was also working in many audience-friendly productions. Out of his normal blockbuster fares, Oldboy was something surprising for Smith, given his career trajectory. The idea of Smith pairing up with Spielberg was equally enticing to the audience.

One would remember how good Men in Black was and how Smith almost rejected Men in Black if it were not for Spielberg’s advice to “not use his brain.”

However, despite the excitement and potential surrounding it, the famous remake of Oldboy did not come to fruition for a variety of reasons.

Why did ‘Oldboy’ reach its demise before even taking off?

As per Collider, differences arose regarding the film’s ending between screenwriter Mark Protosevich and Spielberg’s son, which became a point of contention. Additionally, acquiring the remake rights for the film was a significant obstacle. As a result, the project remained confined to discussions and meetings, ultimately failing to move forward. However, this was not the only project by Spielberg that reached its demise.

Spielberg had several problems with important projects in 2009. This includes his involvement in a number of unsuccessful projects, such as a Horace Greasley biography and a fresh adaptation of Harvey, which had considered Will Smith for the starring role. The 2008 economic crisis, as well as Spielberg’s difficulties getting film rights for DreamWorks ideas from Paramount Pictures, led to the failure of several of his projects in the late 2000s.

How do you think the American version of Oldboy would have turned out if it was remade? Let us know in the comments below.