‘Parasite’ Limited Series Coming To HBO From Bong Joon Ho And Adam McKay

Director Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite took 2019 by storm. Now, it is in works at HBO for a limited series from Bong and Succession executive producer Adam McKay.

According to Deadline, after the film’s worldwide critical success, the Parasite series was fought over by top streamers including Netflix. However, HBO came out on top of the heated bidding war. Currently, deals aren’t done and talks are still underway. But, according to The Hollywood Reporter, early creative details reveal that Bong and McKay will be adapting the film for an English-language limited series. It’s still unclear whether it’s going to be a remake of the film or a spinoff in the same universe of the film.

The limited series is being put together by CJ Entertainment, the feature film’s studio, Dooho Choi’s Kate Street Picture Company, and McKay’s Hyperobject Industries. Bong and McKay will executive produce together with Choi, Miky Lee, Cho Young Ki and Francis Chung for CJ Entertainment, and Kevin Messick for Hyperobject Industries. CJ Entertainment’s Jerry Ko and Fred Lee will serve as co-executive producer and producer respectively.

Parasite is Bong’s seventh and latest feature film after 2017’s Okja. It follows the poor but cunning Kim family as they scheme together to infiltrate the wealthy Park family. However, things take a twisted and sinister turn which inevitably ends in deadly consequences. It stars Song Kang Ho, Lee Sun Kyun, Cho Yeo Jeong, Choi Woo Shik, Park So Dam, Lee Jung Eun, and Chang Hye Jin.

With its unique blend of humor, suspense, and emotion that raises questions about greed and class discrimination, the film has become a global phenomenon and went on to earn $130 million worldwide. Parasite has also gathered up a stack of awards starting from winning the Palm d’Or in Cannes last May. The National Society of Film Critics also named it the best picture of the year. And more recently, it took home the Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes. Now, it is shortlisted for the Best International Feature in the Oscars.

Aside from Parasite, Bong’s previous works include Host and Snowpierecer. The latter of the two is also being adapted by HBO corporate sibling TNT as a drama series. However, its been in the works for years without a release date. McKay, on the other hand, has a long history with HBO. He worked with them on the series Eastbound and Down and Funny or Die. He also has a Jeffrey Epstein limited series in the works in his five-year deal with HBO.