Everything We Know So Far About HBO's 'Parasite' TV Series
Title: The series will presumably be called Parasite.
Network: HBO
Release Date: There is no release date at this time.
Director: While a director has yet to be announced, Bong Joon-Ho will be executive producing the series with Adam McKay.
Cast: According to Dazed, Tilda Swinton (who appeared in Bong's previous pictures Snowpiecer and Okja), is also in talks to play a lead character. Mark Ruffalo revealed he's in talks to play the father (Ki-taek), although a deal has not been signed yet.
While at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, Ruffalo revealed that he's in talks to play a lead character, ComicBook reports. “We’ve met. I love him. I love that movie. I might be playing the father in Parasite on a television show. I would love to do it. We’re sort of waiting on the script and all that, but yeah, that’s pretty much true and in the works."
Plot: Bong Joon-Ho has revealed that the TV adaptation will likely explore stories that take place in between sequences in the film.
Editor’s Notes: Even before a historic night at the 92nd Academy Awards, a TV adaptation of Bong Joon-Ho's Parasite was already in the works. The impending HBO series will find Joon-Ho working with film industry veteran Adam McKay.
While details surrounding the project are scarce, the TV series will likely delve deeper into the characters and plot of the movie.
“There were so many stories that I thought of that could happen in between the sequences you see in the film, and some background stories for each character,” Bong told The Hollywood Reporter. “I really wanted to explore those ideas freely with a five- or six-hour film.”
Reports suggest Netflix was among other streamers hoping to land a Parasite adaptation, but Joon-Ho ultimately decided to team up with McKay and HBO. The series is currently in the early stages of development, so be sure to check back here as we'll be bringing you updates as new information surfaces.
For those unfamiliar, Bong Joon-Ho's Parasite, the movie, which released in October 2019, details the relationship between the wealthy Park family and the somewhat deprived Kim household. The South Korean film became the first foreign-language movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, while also landing Best Original Screenplay and Best Director.