Oscar-winning actor Robert Downey Jr. is not stopping anytime soon. After another huge career turn with last year’s Oppenheimer, which the actor has described as a true blessing and a career-saver from Chris Nolan himself, the actor has a new project lined up for release in the coming weeks: a new HBO limited series titled The Sympathizer.
What Is The Sympathizer About?
The Sympathizer is an adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. The story follows The Captain (Hoa Xuande), a communist spy with ties to both North Vietnam and South Vietnam, as he escapes to America following the fall of Saigon. On the other side of the pond, he will continue to spy for the North Vietnamese and further his connections.
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Here is the official synopsis for the show:
Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, THE SYMPATHIZER is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles, where he learns that his spying days aren’t over.
Synopsis for The Sympathizer, via HBO
When Is The Sympathizer Coming Out?
The first episode of The Sympathizer is coming out on April 14. It will air on HBO at 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT, with the rest of the seven episodes airing on subsequent Sundays, until it wraps on May 26.
Who Is Robert Downey Jr. Playing In The Sympathizer?
Downey Jr. is not playing the main character of The Captain in HBO’s The Sympathizer. However, the Oscar-winning actor does have multiple roles in the narrative. Specifically, he plays four different antagonists who represent different aspects of American life back in the ’70s. More details on them haven’t transpired yet, but we do know RDJ will be under a lot of makeup and extravagant costumes for some of those roles.
Co-showrunner and driving force behind the project, Park Chan-wook, told Collider the following about what made Downey Jr. sign on to do it:
“Well, all the great actors are very picky, and I would think the reason why he chose this project is because he read the novel, and he liked the thoughts behind this novel and how this novel compares the Occidental values and Oriental values. And he has a great interest in telling the story of refugees and this novel tackles on the Vietnamese refugees who came to the United States after the war. So I think that was some of the reasons why he said yes to this project.”
Park Chan-wook
Is There a Trailer for The Sympathizer?
Yes, there is! There are two. Here is the teaser trailer revealed for the show almost a year ago, during David Zaslav’s presentation of Max:
There was another teaser trailer for the show revealed just a few weeks ago:
Seen as there are only two “teaser trailers” and no promos with the “Official Trailer” tag yet, we might have another one of these come out any day now. Stay tuned!
Who Made The Sympathizer?
Acclaimed filmmaker Park Chan-wook (Old Boy, The Handmaiden) is behind the adaptation, serving as co-showrunner, executive producer, writer, and director of episodes 1-3. Fernando Meirelles, who co-directed City of God, is directing episode 4, while Marc Munden directed episodes 4-7. Don McKellar serves as co-showrunner, EP, and writer.
A24 co-produced the project with HBO and Rhombus Media. Other EPs include Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, and Amanda Burrell for Team Downey; along with Niv Fichman (Rhombus), Kim Ly, Ron Schmidt, Jisun Back (Moho Film), and author of the book, Viet Thanh Nguyen.
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The writers’ room also included Mark Richard, Naomi Iizuka, Maegan Houang, Anchuli Felicia King, and Tea Ho. Besides Downey Jr., the cast includes Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Ky Duyen, and Sandra Oh.
About The Sympathizer
Release Date: April 14, 2024
Director and Co-Showrunner: Park Chan-wook
Episode Directors: Park Chan-wook (Episodes 1-3), Fernando Meirelles (Episode 4), Marc Munden (Episodes 5-7)
Writers: Park Chan-Wook, Don McKellar, Mark Richard, Naomi Iizuka, Maegan Houang, Anchuli Felicia King, and Tea Ho
Executive Produced By: Park Chan-Wook, Don McKellar, Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Amanda Burrell, Niv Fichman, Kim Ly, Ron Schmidt, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Jisun Back
Production: HBO, A24, Rhombus Media
Distributed by: HBO
Cast: Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Phanxine, Vy Le, Ky Duyen, Kieu Chinh, Duy Nguyen, Alan Trong, Sandra Oh, Robert Downey Jr.,
Synopsis: Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, The Sympathizer is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles, where he learns that his spying days aren’t over.
What are your thoughts so far regarding HBO’s The Sympathizer? Are you interested in checking out the show? What role would you like Robert Downey Jr. to play next? And did you think he was deserving of the Oscar? Let us know your thoughts on our Twitter and our Discord server!
SOURCE: HBO
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