In a surprisingly public move, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) has expelled two prominent creators: South Korean writer and directorPark Chan-wookandDon McKellar, a Canadian writer-director who worked with Park on the HBO limited seriesThe Sympathizer. According to a report viaVariety, the decision was made public after the WGA discovered that both Park and McKellar had continued to write and work on the serieswhile the 2023 strike was ongoing, which directly contradicted the Guild’s rules. The WGA strike was one of the longest in the Union’s history, lasting from May to September 2023.
Many projects were delayed or halted altogether during the WGA 2023 strike, although some were allowed to continue with certain pre-existing conditions being met.The Sympathizerwasn’t a productionthat met such requirements, making Park’s and McKeller’s contributions something that has led to their memberships being revoked. According to the specific rules of the WGA, all members are prohibited from “writing, revising, or performing any covered work for companies affiliated with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).” The removal of both writers from the guild also entails a range of unfortunate consequences that will affect their work on future productions.
Now, Park and McKeller will no longer be able to provide writing services on any productions covered by the WGA, which encompasses most projects made in the United States. Many of the biggest television networks, film studios, and production companies are required to hire WGA writers for scripted movies and shows. This comes as a big lossfor fans of Park’s work, as the celebrated South Korean filmmaker has had a large presence in North American television shows over the past few years.
Park Chan-wook’s U.S. Television Projects May Have Come to an End
Park is most well-known for his South Korean films,such asOldboy(which was remade in 2013 by Spike Lee),The Handmaiden, and his most recent film,Decision to Leave. The director has a distinct visual style and eye for ambitious cinematic presentation, something that has also translated over into his television projects. Before his work onThe Sympathizer, Park Chan-wook made his television debut withThe Little Drummer Girlin 2018, a thriller that starred Michael Shannon, Florence Pugh, and Alexander Skarsgård.
Park wouldn’t write any episodes ofThe Little Drummer Girl, but the filmmaker did direct every episode in the limited series. His role was reversed inThe Sympathizer, the HBO limited series based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, written by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Park would only direct the first three episodes of the series, although he is credited as a co-writer for the entire season.
Park is perhaps the most public and high-profile WGA member to be expelled from the guild for breaking rules during the 2023 strike, and comes at an inconvenient time. Park is currently gearing up to promote his next film,No Other Choice, a self-described passion project that the filmmaker has been working on for years. It’s too soon to say how much this will impact Park’s career moving forward, though it’s hard to imagine that the filmmaker will now ever be able to transition to bigger-scale productions the way his fellow South Korean director, Bong Joon-ho, who most recently made the sci-fi blockbusterMickey 17.
The Sympathizer
