Mark Ruffalo Eyed For Parasite TV Series At HBO

Last night, Parasite and director Bong Joon-ho made history.

The impeccably crafted social satire scooped top honors at the Oscars and, in doing so, became the first non-English language film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Joon-ho also pipped Sam Mendes (1917) at the post to claim Best Director, with Parasite also earning the Best International Film award, completing a historic sweep.

Amidst all this success, Collider brings word of a potential update relating to the planned HBO series inspired by Parasite, which, we should stress, is still in the very early stages of development. Be that as it may, it appears Bong Joon-ho has already struck up a conversation with Avengers: Endgame star Mark Ruffalo about potentially starring in the HBO drama, perhaps slipping into the same character played by Song Kang-ho. Which is to say the patriarch of the lower-class family.

Per Collider:

We’re not saying Ruffalo has been cast, only that he’s the Hollywood actor most likely to be cast, as of right now, based on what we’re hearing. Again, multiple sources have said that director Bong has reached out to Ruffalo and there is interest on both sides in striking a deal, though official negotiations have yet to begin.

Suffice it to say, take this one with a pinch of salt. Even if HBO and Bong Joon-ho are committed to a Parasite series in the not-so-distant future, the South Korean filmmaker is still riding high after last night’s historic Oscar victory, so it’ll be some time yet before formal negotiations can begin.

But given the sheer quality of Parasite, which earned a coveted five-star rating in WGTC’s official review, we’re happy to watch HBO’s TV series from afar, as it slowly begins to coalesce under the watchful eyes of Bong Joon-ho, whose directing career has gone from strength to strength since Memories of Murder back in 2003.