Two notes of interest have appeared today in the media regarding the Hollywood remake of Oldboy, and both are managing to keep me in a state of shock and confusion.

The first is that it would seem confirmed that Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are developing the Hollywood remake of Oldboy (Filmstalker review), and the second is that there's a writer in early negotiations for the nigh on impossible task.

The news comes from The Hollywood Reporter through Reuters and tells us the name of the aforementioned writer, Mark Protosevich.

Now that would fit well with Will Smith, for he wrote the screenplay for I Am Legend (Filmstalker review), and if you think about some of the feelings of isolation and confusion that came through the film for the character, then that could fit rather well.

There's also the thought of that additional ending on the DVD version, is that the one that's actually in the screenplay? If so then it also shows that he does have the belief to write darker and not so Hollywood styled plots.

However there is a flip side. If he wrote the theatrical version then he's written a very Hollywood ending and that could be disaster for Oldboy (Filmstalker review).

Of course that's not the only film in his career. There's The Cell, which I definitely believe is a good film and hugely underrated one at that, and there's the remake of Poseiden. Yes. Well it was a sinking ship I guess, and a complete disaster. Then there's his recent work on Thor.

I'm not sure. If you were to look at I Am Legend (Filmstalker review) and The Cell in isolation you might think that he might be an interesting choice, but Poseiden and Thor?

I don't know, I'm really getting confused. I am thinking Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are a strange combination, and what do you think the chances are that Smith will take the lead and Spielberg will direct?

Smith could do it, he does have the acting chops, of that there's no doubt. Spielberg is interesting and if you do what I just did with Protosevich then you could pull up Schindler's List, some of Saving Private Ryan, Munich, Duel, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind - which is an interesting comparison when you think about it, the lone character, paranoia, isolation, manipulation, etc.

Actually I think I'm now talking myself round here. I can see flashes of good in them all, and if they find the balls they really could remake Oldboy for Hollywood.

Don't get me wrong though, I don't believe it needs to be done, audiences should learn to read subtitles and watch a film at the same time, but since it is, this line up could well work.