Bong Joon-Ho had a phenomenal 2019 with his film Parasite becoming one of the highest-rated movies of the year. It was nominated for many awards globally, including for Joon-Ho himself as writer and director. Fair dues for the director of other acclaimed films like The Host and Snowpiercer. From a commercial standpoint, Parasite has also been massively successful with over $120 million earned off a small $11 million budget. Quite remarkable numbers if you consider the film is Korean.
So normally when a foreign film comes up with a killer concept that blows people’s minds, it means Hollywood needs to step in and make an English adaptation so that they can make even more money out of it. That is sort of happening this time, well kind-of. Parasite is getting adapted into an English language TV series instead, by HBO.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed the news of the new series that is being developed with Adam McKay and Joon-Ho set to executive produce. It’s not clear as yet if this TV series is a retelling and expansion of the stories introduced in the film or if it is a fresh new story but based on the same central premise. Given that Parasite provided one of the most thought-provoking films of the year though either approach could work, though telling a completely new story would be most ideal for people who have already seen the film.
This is not the first time that one of Joon-Ho’s films has led to a TV series as Snowpiercer is also currently getting adapted into a TV series for TNT. The difference this time though is that while Snowpiercer was an adaption of a comic book, Parasite is a wholly original piece of work and so something with a better representation of his personality.
I think Joon-Ho is a fantastic filmmaker, and it’s great to see him finally getting more recognition amongst western audiences. Let’s hope that this new series only serves to further his reputation and lead him to even bigger projects.
Last Updated: January 10, 2020
