The director of “Decision to Leave” does not slow down after his victory for the best direction in Cannes.
Park Chan Wook was one of the big winners of the 75th Cannes Film Festival, receiving the Best Director trophy for his latest film, Decision to Leave. The film, which IndieWire’s David Ehrlich described as a “funny, playful and increasingly painful police thriller”, was also considered a strong candidate for the Golden Palm, which eventually went to Ruben Ostlund’s “Triangle of Sorrow”. But if nothing else, “Decision to Leave” showed that the director of “Oldboy” is still at the top of his game. And fortunately for his many fans around the world, Park shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
For his next work, the director returns to television with “The Sympathizer”, which will see him working with A24 and HBO to remake Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel of the same name. But the busy South Korean writer is already looking forward to his next several films.
In a new interview with Deadline, held in Cannes, Park revealed that he is seeking funding for many new films, including a western and a science fiction work he wrote. In addition, he is designing a remake of “The Ax”, the 2005 French horror film by Costas-Gavras, about a man who becomes a serial killer out of necessity. Park was eager to talk about his script for the remake and shared some key details of the plot.
“It really is a heartbreaking story for a middle-aged man who lost his job and now has to bring bread to the table to feed his family,” Park said. “So, he struggles in the process of looking for a job in a specialized field and becomes a serial killer.”
While Park’s upcoming series will certainly be exciting news for many cinephiles, one should not expect to read one of the legendary director’s new screenplays. Even Park himself does not have copies of any of them, as he circulates all his scripts among potential sponsors.
“There is nothing in my drawers, everything is out of the drawer,” he said. “All my possible projects revolve around those who can give me the investment.”
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