Robert Downey Jr, Park Chan-wook to collaborate for HBO's series adaptation of The Sympathizer

The Sympathizer, author Viet Thanh Nguyen's best-selling novel, is all set to get a series adaptation at HBO. The studio, along with A24, has brought in Iron Man-actor Robert Downey Jr to star in and produce the show.

Filmmaker Park Chan-wook, best-known for hits like Oldboy and The Handmaiden, will run the show along with Don McKellar (Exotica, Last Night)

The Sympathizer is a cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his resulting exile in the United States.

The team is currently looking for actors to play the lead role and to fill the rest of the cast. Downey is set to play multiple supporting roles, all of whom will represent a different arm of the American establishment. These main antagonists include an up-and-coming Orange County Congressman, a CIA operative, and a Hollywood film director.

The filming of the series is set to take place in Los Angeles and in Vietnam.

Chan-wook will also executive produce alongside Downey, McKellar, Kim Ly, Rhombus Media’s Niv Fichman and Team Downey’s Amanda Burrell and Susan Downey.