Earlier today, director Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” lived up to its buzz and awards season hype by nabbing six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. And while the filmmaker behind the hit project, which won the coveted Palme d’Or last year, is “so happy’ with his nominations, Bong spoke to Deadline about what the future of the film holds when it makes its way to TV, courtesy of HBO.
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For those that missed the news from last week, Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-nominated film “Parasite,” about an impoverished family’s attempt to achieve a higher status, is making the leap from feature film land to prestige drama territory, with HBO hiring Adam McKay and Bong to help produce the limited series. According to the “Parasite” filmmaker, the jump to TV is really exciting, as it provides a way for him to include so much more than he was able to do in the two-hour film. And McKay is a perfect collaborator.
“I really liked Adam McKay’s ‘The Big Short’ and I loved his sense of humor, and the sharp satire he conveyed about the current American politics,” the filmmaker said. “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 that’s what I plan to talk about with Adam pretty soon.”
He added, “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.”
As we said when the news was reported, the idea of a “Parasite” remake of any kind is enough to make many cinephiles want to throw their computers against the wall. But hearing Bong talk about his ideas for the series and why Adam McKay is a good fit to help bring it to life, you can’t help but be a little excited, right? If nothing else, even if Bong’s enthusiasm is unwarranted and the series is terrible, the film will always be there to revisit.