It seems like there are, indeed, many who still cannot overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles.
After quickly squashed rumors last summer that Parasite would be getting the Hollywood remake treatment, Bong Joon Ho’s masterful film then went on to become a major worldwide hit and one of the year’s most acclaimed films. Following its success, Hollywood came knocking at his door once again and now news has arrived the Palme d’Or winner and likely multiple-Oscar nominee is being adapted into an English-language limited series for HBO.
THR is reporting that Bong Joon Ho will be teaming with Adam McKay for the series. As for what narrative form the story might take, they report that “it is unclear if the limited series will be some sort of follow-up to the movie or an English-language remake.” Since they do state the series will be in the English language, the idea of some sort of sequel to the Korean-language film that isn’t in Korean would be even stranger.
Update: Bong told Deadline, “With Parasite, while I was writing the script I had so many more ideas I couldn’t convey into the two-hour running time of the film. I knew that if I had a longer running time, I would be able to tell these stories, and I that’s what I plan to talk about with Adam pretty soon…Though I’m not very familiar with the TV industry, I really consider this limited series an expanded film that can delve deeper into the stories that didn’t make it into Parasite. Adam McKay and HBO have created the amazing show Succession, so they’re very reliable and amazing partners to have.”
While no additional details are available yet–only that HBO beat out Netflix for the rights–we’ll be curious to see if Bong and McKay can expand on this perfectly air-tight story in any creatively satisfying way. With the announcement well timed to Oscar voting, at least Bong should be getting a hefty paycheck to make any passion project to follow.
The director also spoke about the universal themes of the film, 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.”
For more on Parasite, read our interviews with the director and cast here and listen to our spoiler-filled discussion of the film below.