No Other Choice (Park Chan-wook)

[Cremildo]

“Old Boy” director Park Chan-wook says he is getting ready to make comedy horror film “The Ax.” The film would be a remake of the 2005 film by Greek-French director Costa Gavras, which was itself an adaptation of a Donald Westlake novel.

The story involves a chemist who is made redundant due to outsourcing, and devises a solution to eliminate his competition.

“I have had a lifetime project to make a film titled ‘The Ax’,” Park said in an open talk with Greek-French director Costa Gavras, held at the Busan Cinema Center on Sunday, at the Busan International Film Festival. “I’ve not yet started filming, but I wish to make this film as my masterpiece.”

“I want to remake this French-language film into an English-language one,” Park said. “And Gavras and his wife have the filming rights, and they are producers of my project. I’ve been working with Gavras family for years.” [SOURCE]

[Hoke Moseley]

Wow, that's some incredible news.

I haven't seen the Gavras film, but Westlake is one of my favorite authors and that's one of his best novels. Park will knock this out of the........ park.

[Gerby]

I really liked the Costa Gavras film a lot so I will be interested in seeing this.

[Mr. Chaverria]

Park Chan-wook? I'm there.

[prkchopexpress]

that’s all i had to hear was park chan wook

[Cremildo]

Park Chan-wook Gives Update

While a series can take some time to get off the conveyor belt, what’s next in the hopper movie-wise for the Oldboy architect?

“There’s nothing inside my drawers, everything is outside the drawer,” says the Korean filmmaker about where his latest screenplays reside.

“All my potential projects are traveling around those who can give me the investment,” he tells Deadline.

The filmmaker tells us he has a western, a sci-fi project out there, but more specifically there’s also The Ax, which is still floating around out there. The Ax was announced back in the fall of 2019, but it’s still a project very much on Chan-wook’s radar.

Telling us the plotline, which is known to be a remake of Costa-Gavras’ 2005 horror movie, the filmmaker tells us, “It’s truly a heartbreaking story about a middle-aged man who lost a job, and now he needs to bring the bread to the table to feed his family. So, he struggles in the process of looking for a job in a specialized field, and he becomes a serial killer.”

[Cremildo]

Park Chan-wook Lines Up Next Film The Ax with Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin Attached

[...] the director how now announced his next project, which will find him returning to South Korea.

In fact, it’s an adaptation he’s been developing since the early 2010s, that of Donald E. Westlake’s 1997 novel The Ax, which the legendary Costa-Gavras first adapted in 2005.

[...]

Korean outlets are also reporting Lee Byung-hun, who worked with Park on 2000’s Joint Security Area, and Son Ye-jin, are attached to the project, will film toward the latter half of this year. This timeline would mean a late 2025 or even 2026 premiere is in the cards.

[BluBonnet]

Park Chan-Wook's ‘The Ax' to Shoot in August

[EvaDK]

Need to rewatch Decision To Leave. I was drunk the first time around and I have no recollection of the films second half; or whether a plot/character twist was revealed in it.

If he wants this film to compete at the Cannes film festival, we're looking at a 2026 release date. Unless it is already completed by next Spring.

[BluBonnet]

[Cremildo]

The English-language title will be No Other Choice

[Mr. Chaverria]

Originally Posted by Mr. Chaverria

Park Chan-wook? I'm there.

2024 me agrees w/ 2019 me.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by Mr. Chaverria

2024 me agrees w/ 2019 me.

Um... talking to yourself on a movie forum?

[Cremildo]

[BluBonnet]

Acquired by NEON

[badfingerboogie]

Couldn't be more in.

[BluBonnet]

MUBI has acquired right for most of the rest of the world

The global streamer, distributor and producer has bought the film for Latin America, U.K., Ireland, Benelux, Spain, Turkey, India, Australia, New Zealand, and SAARC. Cinéart will release “No Other Choice” theatrically in Benelux. Neon has bought it for North America.

[Cremildo]

Score by 'Oldboy' & 'The Handmaiden' composer Cho Young-wuk.

[Cremildo]

[pikeman1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAGniYuCjdE