Robert Downey Jr. is embarking on his first major television role in the upcoming HBO drama series The Sympathizer. Downey Jr. just recently finished his over-a-decade-long run as the world’s favorite genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, Iron Man in the MCU. The series is based on the 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name from Viet Thanh Nguyen.
Reported by Deadline, Robert Downey Jr. will be starring in the upcoming television HBO and A24 collaboration, The Sympathizer. Park Chan-wook, who is most known for directing and co-writing the critically acclaimed Korean films Oldboy and The Handmaiden, is set to direct and co-showrun the series alongside Don McKellar. The series will be executive produced by Park, McKellar, and Team Downey: Downey Jr., Susan Downey, and Amanda Burrell. This marks the second collaboration between HBO and Team Downey, who recently produced the HBO series Perry Mason, the success of which lead to a renewed overall deal between the two teams. HBO has also collaborated with A24 previously, most notably on the Emmy Award-winning series Euphoria.
Nguyen’s espionage thriller novel The Sympathizer also functions as a satire about the life of a French & Vietnamese communist spy during the end of the Vietnam War and his subsequent exile to the US. The novel is simultaneously a spy tale, an exploration of identity, and a love story of friendship. Downey is reportedly set to star in multiple roles functioning as the main antagonist, coming together to represent different factions of the American establishment, including a Congressman, a CIA agent, and a Hollywood film director. The lead role and other ensemble roles have still not been cast.
Source: Deadline