Shortly after “Parasite” was released in 2019 and went on to earn near-universal acclaim, with some calling Bong Joon Ho’s drama a masterpiece, it was announced that Adam McKay was teaming up with the filmmaker to adapt the feature as a new HBO series. Immediately, as is common when remakes of international films are announced, fans were concerned. How could you possibly remake “Parasite” as a TV series when the film is so good? Well, in a new interview, McKay explains that just because it’s called “Parasite,” the TV series and the film are going to be completely different.
READ MORE: Mark Ruffalo Confirms ‘Parasite’ Talks Are Underway
McKay recently appeared on an episode of Happy. Sad. Confused. (via Collider), where he was asked about the status of the “Parasite” HBO series. Prior to this, all we knew is that Bong had a bunch of ideas that he wasn’t able to include in the film and that was going to be the basis for expanding the film into a series. Oh, and it was rumored that Mark Ruffalo was in talks to star in the show. McKay further expands on what the series is going to be, finally explaining how the show and the film will be different.
“It’s an original series,” McKay said. “It’s in the same universe as the feature, but it’s an original story that lives in that same world.”
He added, “We’re just having the best time. We’ve just staffed up with an incredible writers’ room. I basically outlined the series with director Bong during the quarantine, with him overseeing.”
So, judging by that comment, it appears the series will not just be a rehash of the original film. That’s good news because, as mentioned above, “Parasite” is a great film that doesn’t need a remake. But what we don’t know is whether or not the show will still follow the characters that appeared in the film or if it will be something like an anthology, where the world is the same but the characters that appear are completely different. Both come with their own challenges, obviously.
That said, McKay has proven himself to be a smart filmmaker that is aware of the issues with remaking a film like “Parasite.” And considering he’s working closely with Bong Joon Ho (and maybe Mark Ruffalo), we have cautious optimism that this could be something special. It’s at least something we definitely want to watch.
You can hear the full podcast below: