Following up a highly successful and Acadamy Awards sweeping film like Parasite is no easy task. No one knows that more than the filmmaker behind it, Bong Joon-ho. This week marked the first anniversary of his historic run at the Oscars, and he’s looking to get started on his follow-up projects.
The Parasite and Memories of Murder director recently sat down with fellow filmmaker Rian Johnson for “The Director’s Cut” podcast. During this interview, Bong Joon-ho spoke about writing two new films during the hectic year that was 2020. While he’s completed one of the two, he describes the experience very interestingly.
“It feels like I’m splitting my brain in half left and right writing these two scripts,” says Joon-ho. He continues, “But I finished one last week.”
The two scripts seem to be causing the director to pull his creative energy in two different directions. With films ranging from the darkly fun Parasite to the creature feature The Host, Bong Joon-ho could literally be cooking up anything with these projects.
During an interview last year, the filmmaker teased that one of the films would be in English and the other in Korean. Is that still the case, or has he moved on? Only time will tell, but fans of his work can surely expect more greatness.
Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 film Parasite grossed over $258 million worldwide and set records for an international film in the states. The film won the prestigious Palme d’Or and took home four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film.