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Viet Thanh Nguyen’s first best-selling spy thriller “The Sympathizer” gets A24’s HBO silver screen treatment. Robert Downey Jr. (“The Avengers” franchise, “Iron Man”) will co-star and produce the series.
Park Chan-wook, director of “Oldboy” in 2003 and “The Handmaiden” in 2016, will be co-showrunner with Don McKellar (“Exotica”, “Last Night”). Filming is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles and Vietnam.
“The Sympathizer” is described as a cross-cultural satire on the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese Communist spy during the last days of the Vietnam War and his resulting exile in the United States. Global search is currently underway for the lead role and the rest of the predominantly Vietnamese ensemble. The television adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is a co-production between HBO, A24 and Rhombus Media in association with Cinetic Media and Moho Film. Downey will play several supporting roles, all of which will represent a different branch of the American establishment. These main antagonists include an aspiring Orange County congressman, a CIA agent, and a Hollywood director.
“Adapting the important and masterful work of Mr. Nguyen requires a visionary team. With Director Park at the helm, I expect this to be a creative production adventure for Susan, me and the Downey team, and an empowering process for myself in playing these complex supporting roles, ”a Downey said in a statement. “A24 and HBO are the perfect combination of partners and co-parents… This is exactly the type of challenge I want, and I think we will provide an exceptional viewing experience for our audience.” Chan-wook will direct the adaptation and executive production of “The Sympathizer” alongside Downey, McKellar, Kim Ly, Niv Fichman of Rhombus Media and Amanda Burrell and Susan Downey of Team Downey.
A24 and Team Downey are used to working with HBO. Most recently, A24 and the premium cable maker worked together on the Emmy Award-winning mature YA show “Euphoria” with Zendaya, and Olivier Assayas’ remake of his own “Irma Vep” with Alicia Vikander. Team Downey is currently producing the reboot of four-time Emmy nominee “Perry Mason,” starring Matthew Rhys.
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