ROTTEN TOMATOES: Charlize Theron Has Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

Charlize Theron Has Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

She also has a producer's credit and the starring role.

by Jeff Giles | March 17, 2008

She'll spend the summer blending humor and superhero action with Will Smith and Jason Bateman in Hancock, but Charlize Theron already has Vengeance on her mind.

While promoting her latest film, Sleepwalking, Theron told MTV Movies that she's working on an adaptation of Park Chan-Wook's Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. Though she described the film as "in the very early stages" of development, Theron is committed to produce and star -- and she knows she's got her work cut out for her:

We're intimidated almost beyond belief. [Park Chan-Wook] made an almost perfect film. I wouldn't do it if it wasn't for him and his encouragement. He came to me and said he really wanted us to do this. He didn't want to direct it. He really wanted to see that story told in an American society. If he wasn't so encouraging, I don't think I could go through with it. It'll be a different director.

The original film, released in 2005, wrapped up the vengeance-themed trilogy the director started with 2002's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and continued with 2003's Oldboy:

On the heels of her release from prison, Lee Geum-ja embarks on a mission to track down the man responsible for her imprisonment, which also resulted in her being forced to give up her daughter for adoption. Hardened by years in the penitentiary and endlessly fantasizing about the right way to exact revenge, she enlists the help of former cellmates to accomplish her goal. But what she uncovers is a secret so horrifying that no revenge seems fitting.

As Theron acknowledged, successfully remaking Lady Vengeance will be difficult; Tomatometer critics gave the original a 75 percent Tomatometer rating, and RT users were even kinder, sending it all the way to 88 percent. Place your bets!

Source: MTV Movies

Related Items

Movie:	Oldboy
	Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
	Hancock
	Sleepwalking
Celeb:	Jason Bateman
	Will Smith
	Charlize Theron
	Chan Wook Park

(1-17 of 17 posts) | Reply

AFuneralMaker writes:
on Mar 17 2008 05:17 AM

I've already got low expectations being that they think it is called Sympathy For Lady Vengeance. It is simply Lady Vengeance. Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance would be the first move in the series. Oldboy was the best, but I curse the day they remake that film into an American waste heep.

(Reply to this)

pulpfantrntno writes:
on Mar 17 2008 06:01 AM

In reply to this comment (#1638026)
official international titles from IMDB:

Also Known As (AKA)
Lady Vengeance Finland / France / Germany / Sweden / USA
Ekdikisi mias kyrias, I Greece
Kind-Hearted Ms. Geum-Ja (undefined) (literal English title)
Lady Vingan�a Brazil (festival title)
Lady vendetta Italy
My Lady Vengeance Hong Kong (DVD box title) (English title)
Qin-joe-han gump-ja-she North Korea
Se�ora venganza Mexico
Shed Tears for Lady Vengeance Philippines (DVD title) (English title)
Simpat�a por la mujer venganza Argentina (festival title)
Simpatija za gdu. Osvetnicu Croatia (DVD title)
Sincere geum-ja Hong Kong (Cantonese title)
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance UK (DVD box title)

(Reply to this)

Raziel5000 writes:
on Mar 17 2008 06:07 AM

We'll, theres 2 out of the 3 up for remake (apparently Nick Cage's production company has got the rights to Oldboy - with him to star).

I'm hope they do a good job, but I can't see it. It'll be watered down without question. But if its dumbed down then we really haven't got a movie.

Interesting that Park Chan-Wook is so enthusiastic though. Maybe if he has some creative input it might work.

(Reply to this)

xenogears writes:
on Mar 17 2008 06:21 AM

Why remake these. Plenty of Americams seem to be able to read so just let them watch the originals which are not that old. Sympathy for Mr. Vengence and Oldboy where excellent (I have not seen Lady Vengence). Don't screw them up. If you must, put an english dub to them.

(Reply to this)

Sadistik writes:
on Mar 17 2008 08:27 AM

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...stop it already. STOP IT.

Enough with the remakes.........especially the originals from the vengeance trilogy. They are amazing as is, and plenty of Americans have seen them.

(Reply to this)

arendr writes:
on Mar 17 2008 09:00 AM

" Plenty of Americams seem to be able to read"

That's where you're wrong!

(Reply to this)

AFuneralMaker writes:
on Mar 17 2008 10:49 AM

In reply to this comment (#1638050)
The Oldboy remake rumors were already previously squashed.

(Reply to this)

Elixor writes:
on Mar 17 2008 10:51 AM

In reply to this comment (#1638215)
Sadly I think Arendr is right.

To give an example, when I saw The Orphanage, there was this older couple who complained the whole movie about it being subtitled. The guy even fell asleep and started snoring, woke up, and continued complaining. In the front of the theater by where the tickets were bought there was a sign that stated that the movie was subtitled. I guess they couldn't or didn't want to read that either.

I always prefer subtitled foreign made movies over dubbing (which is usually just terrible), but I've heard way too many people complain about subtitles to believe that this is the norm.

(Reply to this)

arendr writes:
on Mar 17 2008 11:03 AM

In reply to this comment (#1638344)
"Sadly I think Arendr is right"

I've heard this so many times in my life.

(Reply to this)

Tobey, Boi writes:
on Mar 17 2008 12:42 PM

In reply to this comment (#1638026)
Low expectations here too. But you're wrong about the title. It was released in the U.S. as Lady Vengeance because not many people know about sympathy for mr. vengeance. I know this because i loved old boy and immediately imported SFLV from kooooorea for my region free Mac. so eat it, suckbag.

(Reply to this)

Bob* writes:
on Mar 17 2008 03:59 PM

Simpathy was a great movie. Why doing it again? Remakes are already bad ideas but making a good movie AGAIN is just nonsense.

(Reply to this)

LoMaX writes:
on Mar 17 2008 06:53 PM

Some things should be left alone. This makes me sad.

(Reply to this)

screwhead100 writes:
on Mar 18 2008 02:14 AM

" Plenty of Americams seem to be able to read"

lol, i have friends who wont go to the movies or even watch a movie at home if it has subtitles.....how horrible is that

(Reply to this)

donwillymo writes:
on Mar 18 2008 06:59 AM

Charlize Theron needs to do a movie where she gets naked...oh wait that's like every movie she's been in forget it.

(Reply to this)

Cop.P writes:
on Mar 18 2008 10:51 AM

ohhh no!!, the vengeance trilogy is a classic, the 3 movies are great, specially Old Boy. They are gonna destroy a movie classic, they should'nt remake this movie, the Korean culture and the American culture are not the same, plus that movie is nothing if it is not directed by PARK.

(Reply to this)

Matanuki writes:
on Apr 01 2008 10:57 PM

What's pissing me off is that I haven't been able to get hold of a copy of Lady Vengeance yet. Old Boy, for sure, is the best one so far. But I'm starved to seek Lady Vengeance. I was lucky enough to finally find a copy of The Twilight Samurai last week at a local Blockbuster. That's another one I had a long, hard time getting hold of.

(Reply to this)