Parasite has garnered six Oscar nominations , and the HBO series based on this year's breakout hit could run for six hours. The day before learning that Parasite would receive six Oscar nominations for 2020, its director donned his anti-Marvel Martin Scorsese persona . In an interview with The Times , Bong Joon-ho declared that "superhero movies are stupid." The following day, after the good news from Hollywood was confirmed, the South Korean director shared new details about the HBO series based on Parasite.
Although Bong Joon-ho hasn't yet decided whether it will be a sequel or a prequel, it seems clear that it won't be a remake. The director's main objective is to expand the Parasitic universe with details that didn't make it into the final script. In the director's own words, there's enough material to make a six-hour Parasite movie.
“My goal with the TV series is to expand on the movie. As of now we don't have a specific direction, but I want to create a six-hour movie that expands on the Parasite story. I don't think from now on it's easy to classify what it will be, whether it's a sequel or a prequel, but I hope that people who have seen the movie can still be surprised. I'll be meeting with Adam (McKay) soon to have more discussions about what this series will look like."
Joon-ho also mentioned the television adaptation of Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander as an example of a successful case: “Although I am not very familiar with the television industry, I believe that this miniseries format would allow me to develop the deeper storylines that I couldn't tell in Parasite.
Parasites: the series, about to be candy on HBO
Still from the masterful Parasites
Parasites feat. Adam McKay
Once these promising foundations have been laid, practically everything remains to be decided. It is not yet known whether it will be shot in Korea or the United States. The degree of involvement of Adam McKay is not known (will they work in tandem or will all the weight of filming and script fall on him?).
Given that the American director has helmed Vice and The Big Short, the potential outcome of this agreement is already very promising. McKay's work is characterized by its breakneck pace, sharp dialogue, and a style somewhat removed from Bong Joon-ho's formalism. However, it was the South Korean director who agreed to the collaboration, drawn primarily by McKay's work in television.
"Adam McKay and HBO did a great job with Succession. I couldn't have better partners."
Discover in our special article 10 details of Parasites that you may have missed
Parasites makes history
How could it be otherwise, Bong Joon-ho has also spoken about the Oscar nominations. This is the first time that a South Korean film has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film and, of course, Best Global Film. Let us also remember that it already won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes festival last summer.
"I didn't make this movie with the goal of getting all these nominations, but somehow it happened. I was particularly happy to get the nominations tied to editing and production design. They are all grandmasters with long careers and I am very happy to see them nominated. We put a lot of effort in all departments for this movie. We tried to approach it masterfully and artfully, and with new challenges, to not remain complacent and I think the voters really recognized him as fellow filmmakers."
One of the main reasons Parasite is so special is that there are no good guys or bad guys. Or at least that's what its director has always maintained. This absence of villains has come up again in light of his statements against superhero films, which we mentioned at the beginning. We reiterate, this interview took place before the Oscar nominations were announced. Even so, that only adds to the value of Joon-ho's courageous words.
"I don't like superheroes at all. I think they are a bit stupid. I like characters that have to complete missions beyond their own capabilities."