Robert Downey Jr. to Star in Spy Series By the Oldboy Director

Robert Downey Jr. is set to co-star in a TV adaptation of The Sympathizer for HBO and A24, with Oldboy director Park Chan-wook serving as director.

This news comes by way of Deadline, which reports that HBO has ordered the A24 drama series adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Sympathizer, written by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Downey Jr. will co-star alongside the show’s lead that has yet to be found.

The Sympathizer is a spy thriller novel with a dash of satire about a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy in the final days of the Vietnam War. Exiled to the United States, the spy’s story represents a “blistering exploration of identity and America,” according to the novel’s description. It’s also described as a “gripping spy novel and powerful story of love and friendship.”

A search is underway for someone to play the spy in question as well as the rest of the cast, which will be predominantly Vietnamese, according to Deadline.

Oldboy director, Park Chan-wook, is set to direct the movie and they’ll serve as a co-showrunner for the series alongside Don McKellar. Downey Jr., Susan Downey, and Amanda Burrell from Team Downey will executive produce the show with McKellar and Chan-wook alongside Kim Ly and Niv Fichman from Rhombus Media.

The Sympathizer will be one of the first roles for Downey Jr. following his ten-year run as Iron Man in the MCU — don’t forget about last year’s Dolittle, though — and according to Deadline, Downey Jr. was especially interested in this project over several other offers thanks to the “incredible story” and the “opportunity to show his incredible range as an actor.”

According to Deadline’s sources, Downey Jr. will play multiple supporting roles as the series’ main antagonists, “all of whom represent a different arm of the American establishment… including an up-and-coming Orange County congressman, a CIA agent, and a Hollywood film director, amongst others.”

The Sympathizer isn’t the first collaboration between Team Downey and HBO — the two companies teamed up for HBO’s Perry Mason last year. It’s also not the first collaboration between HBO and A24, as the two teamed up for 2019’s Euphoria.

There’s no word yet on when to expect this adaptation of The Sympathizer, although it could be some time as the production is still casting for its lead and series ensemble.

While waiting for this series to hit HBO, check out our thoughts on Team Downey’s last movie in IGN’s Dolittle review and then check out our thoughts on Downey’s last go as Iron Man in IGN’s Avengers: Endgame review.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.