Tilda Swinton is to take the lead in the TV adaptation of Bong Joon-Ho’s Oscar-winning Parasite, according to reports.
As members of the Bong hive will know, Swinton is a favourite of Joon-Ho, who cast her in his 2013 science fiction drama Snowpiercer, as well as his 2017 action adventure Okja.
The HBO six-part miniseries is also rumoured to feature Mark Ruffalo as the male lead – although no official announcement has been made – and will see Adam Mckay of Succession pair with Joon-Ho in an executive production role.
Some fans are apprehensive that the US version of Parasite is essentially an exercise in whitewashing, erasing Korean voices and talent. One wrote on Twitter: “I don’t think Parasite should get an American remake at all but definitely not for TV and definitely not with two white families?” Another said: “They are really making a white parasite… and Bong Joon-Ho gave it the Ok…”
Inkoo Gang, a TV critic at the Hollywood Reporter, said after the film’s historic night at the Oscars: “I really hope Parasite winning Best Picture means it’ll re-open wide and stream everywhere and HBO will cancel the shit out of that Adam McKay version”.
But on the Oscars red carpet, Joon-Ho himself said that the project was now in the early stages of production and that he was starting to build things “one by one” with McKay. “He’s amazing,” Joon-Ho said, “right now we’re still talking about the structure of the narrative, I can’t wait to talk about the actors. I’m very excited to see who will join the cast.”.
Read our list of five other Bong Joon-Ho films to watch here.