And you thought "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" had trouble finding a leading actress. Spike Lee's "Oldboy" remake-cum-reinvention -- which previously courted Rooney Mara and Mia Wasikowska for a lead role -- has now turned to Elizabeth Olsen, according to TwitchFilm. Should a deal get brokered, Olsen would play Marie, a young girl who helps a mysterious man (Josh Brolin) get revenge on the person who imprisoned him for 15 years.
"Oldboy," a graphic novel, was originally turned into a film by South Korean director Chan-wook Park; Lee's version, scripted by Mark Protosevich, will apparently be closer to the source material than the cult favorite, which was released in 2003.
Of course, just getting an American version of "Oldboy" to the screen has proved to be a Herculean task. Will Smith and Steven Spielberg were originally toying with the idea of doing the remake, but Lee came aboard last year and Brolin soon followed to star. As with finding a female lead, casting a villain has proved difficult, too. Colin Firth, Christian Bale and Clive Owen were all reportedly offered the part, but none signed on. That could have something to do with the shooting schedule, which has been handcuffed by Brolin's involvement in "Men in Black 3."
Olsen, who broke out in 2011 with "Martha Marcy May Marlene," will next be seen in the horror thriller "Silent House," and has "Red Lights" and "Liberal Arts" arriving in 2012 as well.
[via TwitchFilm]