Tilda Swinton Leaves Adam McKay's Parasite Series
It's been over two agonizing years since "Parasite" fans learned that producer Adam McKay and director Bong Joon-ho are collaborating with HBO Max to develop a limited series based on the South Korean award-winning film. For those unfortunate few who have not seen the movie yet, the story follows the Kim family, who individually work their way into a wealthy family's home by posing as highly qualified domestic servants. However, The well-off Park family is unaware of the con's sinister plan to systematically infiltrate the large house to take whatever they can get for themselves. With a mountain of awards, including an Oscar for best motion picture, it's no surprise that fans were ecstatic over the news of an upcoming TV series. However, flash forward to the present day, where the good news is that the show is still under development, but the bad news is that it just lost a potential cast member.
Taking a look back, fans of Bong's work are familiar with previous in-development projects of his beloved films that also went through a lengthy stretch of changes and delays. Bong's brilliant thriller, "Snowpiercer," as reported by Deadline, was ordered as a series back in November 2016 before finally making its way to fans in May 2020. However, being as great as the "Snowpiercer" film was, it still didn't reach the award-winning levels that "Parasite" did. This makes the new show's lengthy development much more surprising, if not disappointing. But over the last couple of years, small details have continued to add to the anticipation, like word that Tilda Swinton will join the cast. However, new reports say that much like the "Snowpiercer" series, the development of "Parasite" is having its own ups and downs.
Tilda Swinton has decided to not be part of the Parasite series
Fans of Bong Joon-ho have enjoyed his brilliant creations that include "Mother," "Okja," and "Snowpiercer." Therefore, it was no surprise that there was immediate excitement stemming from the announcement, reported by Deadline, that a "Parasite" limited series is in development. Much like all spin-off series created off popular movies, any word of information released about the production can send fans into a tizzy. That was surely the case when V Magazine reported that stars Mark Ruffalo and Tilda Swinton were attached. However, Swinton has just, unfortunately, confirmed that this is no longer the case. Variety quotes her as saying, "I don't think I'll be a part of it, but I'm very happy to be a cheerleader."
Although it's nice that Swanson will join the rest of the fans as a cheerleader, hopefully, this will not be a reason for HBO Max to cancel the project altogether. "Snowpiercer" fans remember, all too well, how that spin-off series seemed like it would never happen. After two years of development, the "Snowpiercer" series, which was ordered by TNT, had its showrunner, Josh Friedman, replaced following the filming of the pilot. Despite this sudden change, along with several other issues, the series finally aired in May 2020. Despite this rollercoaster of development news, Bong Joon-ho fans have their fingers crossed, hoping to see the release of a new "Parasite" installment, even if it's without Tilda Swinton.