Everything we know about HBO's Parasite from Adam McKay and Bong Joon-ho
There's more to come after a stellar awards-season performance.
From the 2019 Cannes Film Festival to the 2020 Oscars, Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite has been tearing up the awards circuit for a while now. It topped off its tremendous year by taking home four Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture. The love for Parasite doesn’t stop there, though.
In addition to all the well-deserved recognition, Bong is teaming up with Succession and The Big Short’s Adam McKay to executive produce a limited HBO series based on Parasite, which follows the lives of a poor family employed by an uncaring wealthy family. The drama-thriller explores class warfare and the negative impacts of capitalism.
While the project doesn’t yet have an official title and is still in the very early stages of development, the HBO limited series will consist of five or six episodes. It may incorporate some smaller details Bong didn’t have room to include in the original film. With that in mind, here’s everything we know so far about HBO’s Parasite series:
What is the release date for HBO's Parasite series?
There is no confirmed release date for the series yet. There’s no official script for the series yet, either. Asked when viewers could expect the HBO series to come out, Bong joked it won’t be out until “maybe 2027." In the meantime, here's where you can watch the original movie.
What is the Parasite limited series about? Is it a remake? A sequel?
Last month, Bong revealed a few key details about the series. Speaking with The Wrap, the director revealed how long the series might be, explaining that the “goal with this limited series is to create a six-hour-long film.”
As for what the series might entail, the Oscar-winning director revealed there was plenty of backstory that didn’t make it into the original film, and hinted the wealthy family’s original housekeeper and the secret bunker’s architect might have big roles to play.
“When the original housekeeper Mun Gwang (Lee Jung Eun) comes back in the late night, something happened to her face. Even her husband asked about it but she never answered. I know why she had the bruises on her face. I have a story for that, and aside from that, why does she know the existence of this bunker? What relationship does she have with that architect to know of this bunker? So I have all these hidden stories that I have stored."
'Parasite' was a whirlwind.
Who is in the cast of the HBO limited series?
There is no official confirmation about casting for the Parasite series yet or if the original cast will reprise their roles. However, Collider is reporting that Bong reached out to Mark Ruffalo about a lead role. The publication cites multiple sources, all of whom suggest that there is interest on both sides.
Hours after the report was published, TMZ asked Ruffalo about his involvement with the Parasite series. Here’s what he had to say:
“I'd be honored to be able to play something in that. It'd be cool to be part of it. You know how it is in Hollywood, nothing's done till it's done. My hat's in the ring."
It hasn't been confirmed if the original cast members will return for the HBO series.
Is there a trailer for the HBO show?
As you can probably guess, there isn’t a trailer for the series just yet. We'll update when this becomes available.
Will the Parasite HBO series be in English or Korean?
During his Golden Globes acceptance speech, Bong expressed his hope that Parasite would help people “overcome the one-inch barrier of subtitles” to watch more foreign films.
When the Parasite HBO series was first announced, various outlets reported it would be adapted in English. However, Deadline reports that Bong was open to the series being in either language.
