If you've seen it, you know the South Korean film Parasite is a freaky and twist-filled movie that'll have you screaming by the end. Luckily, one premium TV network realized the hit film has some serious potential, and a Parasite limited series is now coming to HBO. Writer and director of the film Boon Joon-ho is confirmed to be teaming up with filmmaker Adam McKay to bring an English-language limited series to the United States based on the hit Korean movie.
The original film told an electrifying story about class tensions in Korea, and chronicled how one young man in the lower-class Kim family lied and finagled his entire brood into careers in the upper-class Park family's life. While it's not clear exactly how the series will build upon the hit movie (whether it will be a sequel to the film or simply an English remake), Joon-ho has established himself as a filmmaker with a knack for shocking people while touching on universal themes.
The director spoke about to the Hollywood Reporter about the film's storylines, saying: “When I made Parasite, it was like trying to witness our world through a microscope. The film talks about two opposing families, about the rich versus the poor, and that is a universal theme, because we all live in the same country now: that of capitalism.”
The original film, which is in Korean, received mid-2019 buzz for a rumor it was going to be remade in English for United States audiences. But those reports were denied, and it became an international sensation in its own right. But, despite proving U.S. audiences don't mind the subtitles at the bottom of their screens, reports say the HBO spinoff will likely be in English.
The remake is also introducing a new filmmaker for it's limited-series spinoff: Adam McKay. While McKay established his career making comedies like Step Brothers and Anchorman, he also has credits in dramatic films such as The Big Short and Vice, and will have to parlay the skills learned in those to bring the gripping Parasite limited series to HBO.
News of this Parasite-based series comes at a great time. It recently won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and is expected to snag a few Oscar nominations when those are announced on Jan. 13. The film previously won the Palme d’Or (the highest honor) at the Cannes film festival in 2019.
Fans will have to wait for further reports to find out when the Parasite limited series will be released on HBO.
