For someone who had no intention of being an actor at the time of District 9, Sharlto Copley has built quite a career for himself. A couple weeks ago we reported that he was in talks to play the villain in Spike Lee’s remake of Oldboy.
He’s now been confirmed to play that role and according to Deadline has also finalised a deal to star in Open Grave for director Gonzalo López-Gallego (Apollo 18).
In Oldboy, Copley will play the villainous Adrian Pryce, a billionaire who releases Joe Douchett (Josh Brolin) after keeping him in captivity for several years, and then has to deal with the man’s revenge. Elizabeth Olsen also stars as a case worker who helps Joe figure out his past.
Open Grave has been in development since 2006, with Gonzalo López-Gallego directing from a screenplay by Chris Borey and Eddie Borey. The movie centres on a man who wakes up surrounded by dead bodies and has no idea how he got there. He starts to have bizarre, murderous flashbacks, and begins to think the he is the killer.
It isn’t known when production will begin on either of these projects.