Spike Lee Takes Over Michael Mann's Former Project Gold

While Spike Lee didn’t change anybody’s worlds with last year’s Red Hook Summer, he has had a lot of people talking about his upcoming Oldboy remake, based on the Korean original. No one really seems to want it, but it is definitely set for an October 11 release. What’s he going to follow that with, a Gone With the Wind remake?

No, thank goodness. According to The Wrap, he’s attached to direct Gold for Black Bear Pictures, with Paul Haggis (Crash) on board as a producer. Based on a true story, it centers on the 1993 scandal involving the false claims by the Bre-X Mineral Corporation that they have discovered a large deposit of gold in the jungles of Indonesia. The screenplay was written by Patrick Massett and Jon Zinman the screenwriting duo responsible for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and several episodes of Friday Night Lights and most recently Last Resort. The last we heard about Gold, Michael Mann was circling it, but he has since moved on to be attached to a bunch of other movies.

The last really solid work Lee has done involved Hurricane Katrina and its effects on New Orleans, though nobody is denying the power of the Michael Jackson doc Bad 25. But anyway, I’ll be a lot more excited about this flick if Oldboy defies all expectations, even though the films couldn’t be any more different.

Production is set to start before the year is over with, but the casting choices may ripple the scheduling waters. Let’s hope Lee’s presence is more real gold than not.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.