HBO’s Parasite series is moving forward. Appearing on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, writer Adam McKay confirmed that the series is “chugging full speed ahead,” and offered some clarity about how exactly the series will connect to Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film.
In a wide-ranging interview that covered everything from his new podcast delving into NBA history to his upcoming film, Don’t Look Up, McKay spoke briefly about the series. Most notably, he clarified that the series is not an adaptation or a remake. “It’s an original series,” McKay confirmed. “It’s in the same universe as the feature, but it’s an original story that lives in that same world.”
This jibes with what Bong described as the origin of the series back when it was first announced. "I had all these key ideas accumulated from when I started writing the script," he explained. "I just couldn’t include all those ideas in the two-hour running time of the film, so they’re all stored in my iPad and my goal with this limited series is to create a six-hour-long film."
Information on the series has been hard to come by since it was announced. Rumors had circulated last year about potential cast, but HBO dismissed those rumors as premature speculation, citing that the series was too early in development. There wasn’t a completed script at that time, after all. It might be time to start speculating again, as McKay confirms in the interview that the script for the first episode is complete.
“We’re just having the best time” McKay explained. “We’ve just staffed up with an incredible writers’ room. I basically outlined the series with director Bong during the quarantine, with him overseeing.”
Both men have Academy Awards for writing — Bong with a Best Original Screenplay award for Parasite, McKay with a Best Adapted Screenplay award for 2016’s The Big Short. And both have been nominated in the Best Director category — Bong won for Parasite, McKay was nominated for both The Big Short and 2019’s Vice. Even so, McKay emphasized how excited he was to work with someone of Bong’s caliber:
“Occasionally in life, you get very lucky, and for me to get to work anywhere near director Bong’s orbit — usually, when I hear people say ‘I’m honored,’ it sounds like bullshit to me, but I’m legitimately honored. And having a blast.”
No word yet on when we can expect the series, so stay tuned for more information. Check out the full interview with McKay here.