HBO has secured the rights to adapt South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho’s critical smash hit Parasite into a miniseries, the US cable channel said Jan 10, 2020.

Television companies vying to adapt the movie include Netflix, which produced Bong’s 2017 hit Okja, entertainment website Deadline Hollywood reported.

A dark satire about the relationship between two families, Parasite has earned US$130 million worldwide, picking up the coveted Palme d’Or at Cannes and a best foreign film Golden Globe along the way.

“Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films,“ the 50-year-old Bong said as he accepted the award at the Globes on Jan 5.

“I think we use only just one language–the cinema.”

Already considered a favorite for the foreign-language Oscar – with the nominations announcement coming on Jan 13 – some analysts say “Parasite” could be a contender to win best picture too.

Joining Bong on the adaptation will be Adam McKay, the Oscar-winning writer-director of The Big Short (2015) and Vice (2018). - AFP