Rooney Mara lands Oldboy female Lead?

Rooney for Oldboy ? Surely the England striker is better suited to a live-action Shrek film? No, it's Rooney Mara who could find herself starring with Josh Brolin and Christian Bale in Spike Lee's remake of Oldboy - if the rumours are true.

Sources told Twitch that Mara is the project's first choice for the female lead, playing a character renamed as Marie in the US version of the film.

Mara seems to be shifting categories from 'one to watch' into 'one to watch at the multiplex', given her recent work on films such as David Fincher's Girl With The Dragon Tattoo remake, The Social Network and the Nightmare On Elm Street reboot.

Reports suggest that Brolin has now been confirmed for the lead role, playing a man who is kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years before being released.

Christian Bale is thought to be first choice for the villain role, although there's still no word on whether that will happen yet.

Mark Protosevich ( Thor , I Am Legend ) has penned a script for the Oldboy remake that includes elements of Park Chan-wook‘s original, story from the comic which inspired that film and new material.