Thriller, action and mystery are heading to our screens through a new original limited series based on the debut Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Sympathizer, and it sure looks promising.
With its original premise written by Vietnamese-American professor Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer will see Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) and Hoa Xuande (Cowboy Bebop) in a mastery of disguise coming in 2024 HBO Max‘s new rebrand, Max. With an engaging story worthy of a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, The Sympathizer introduces a North Vietnam spy (Xuande) who becomes embedded in L.A.’s refugee community. The original series was announced by HBO via a new teaser.
Downey Jr., who works as an executive producer on the HBO and A24 production alongside Park Chan-wook and his wife Susan Downey, takes on several roles throughout the espionage thriller. With each of them representing different aspects of the American establishment, the teaser presents an Orange County Congressman, a CIA operative, and a Hollywood film director among the many disguises to be presented on the show. The teaser also unveils a few other names who will be joining Downey Jr. and Xuande, including Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Vy Le, Alan Trong, Ky Duyen, and Sandra Oh.
In 2016, The Sympathizer‘s original novel was the recipient of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, as well as the New York Times Editor’s Choice for that month. Albeit a debut novel for Nguyen, the fictional thriller immediately received acclaimed critics the year after its release, finally reaching a new deserved milestone with a live-action adaptation part of HBO Max’s efforts to integrate all of Warner Bros Discovery’s brands under one streaming service.
The Sympathizer is scheduled to reach Max in 2024.