As Warner Bros. Discovery unveiled their rebranding of HBO Max to Max, they had a powerful weapon in their back pocket. South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s return to television with The Sympathizer, his first miniseries since 2018’s The Little Drummer Girl.
An adaptation of Vieth Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Sympathizer centers on a North Vietnamese spy who flees to the United States at the end of the Vietnam War. He continues spying for the Viet Cong, testing his loyalties and desire for a new life.
The cast is led by Cowboy Bebop actor Hoa Xuande, joined by Sandra Oh, Robert Downey Jr., Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, and Ky Duyen.
Park, who most recently returned to the big screen with Decision to Leave, directs the first three episodes of The Sympathizer. He also acts as co-showrunner with Don McKellar.
Downey plays multiple antagonist roles, cementing that this won’t be your typical espionage series. Expect aspects of fantasy, dark comedy, and more as Park flexes his muscles with the serialized format.
