PARASITE Director Bong Joon-Ho Says The HBO Series Will Expand The Film's Story

It was recently announced that director Bong Joon-ho’s Academy Award-nominated film Parasite is going to get a series adaptation with the help of Adam McKay. A lot of fans of the film don’t seem to like the idea of a series. They feel it would cheapen the film, but the whole idea for the series came from the director of the film, and there’s a reason for it.

While talking to Deadline about the series, Joon-ho explains that he wanted to make the series to expand on the story that the film told. He 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 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.”

That’s the reason that I’m excited about the series! If there’s more story that Joon-ho wants to tell with these characters, I’ll tune in to watch! When asked about whether the series will be told in English or Korean, Joon-ho says that nothing is decided yet and that everything is still open for discussion:

“I think this was the case not only for the US but for most countries including Korea, where audiences mainly watch domestic films or Hollywood blockbusters. It wasn’t very common for diverse films to cross continents and access different audiences. But I think audiences are opening up to these films and the fact that this Korean-language film was nominated for Oscars, and was really embraced by US audiences reflects that change of attitude. It’s sort of like a proof for how audiences are opening up.”

I trust that Joon-ho is going to deliver a great series that will end up surprising fans of the film. They don’t like the idea of it now, but when it’s released they’ll all tune in and rave about it.

Parasite centers around two families, “the Park Family, who are the picture of aspirational wealth, and the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist, to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. The Kims provide “indispensable” luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims’ newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the Kims and the Parks.”

I loved this film and there’s no doubt that it’s going to take home an Oscar.