“Parasite” director Bong Joon Ho will likely receive a lot of offers for work after winning several Oscars but he doesn’t expect to crossover into superhero movies any time soon…
There have been plenty of Oscar nominated directors who have gone onto work on comic book films.
Christopher Nolan famously created “The Dark Knight” trilogy. Oscar winner Ang Lee took a stab at “Hulk” once upon a time. Kenneth Branagh directed the first “Thor” film for Marvel. And this year saw Todd Phillips nominated for his work on an actual comic book film — “Joker”.
The winner for Best Director at the 2020 Academy Awards was Bong Joon Ho, whose film “Parasite” was the biggest victor of the entire night after capturing several Oscars including Best Picture.
While “Parasite” was the first ever foreign language film to win Best Picture at the Oscars, Bong has previously worked on several English language films including 2013’s “Snowpiercer,” which is now being adapted into a TV series on TNT.
Considering his Oscar win on Sunday night, it’s likely Bong will be fielding all sorts of offers to direct films from major studios but as much as he appreciates what studios like Marvel have done with comic book movies, he’s not so sure he’d be the right fit to lead one himself.
“I have a personal problem,” Bong told Variety. “I respect the creativity that goes into superhero films, but in real life and in movies, I can’t stand people wearing tight-fitting clothes. I’ll never wear something like that, and just seeing someone in tight clothes is mentally difficult. I don’t know where to look, and I feel suffocated. Most superheroes wear tight suits, so I can never direct one.
“I don’t think anyone will offer the project to me either. If there is a superhero who has a very boxy costume, maybe I can try.”
Bong has already done plenty of science fiction in the past and he has two different projects in the works right now including a South Korean film that he says is blend of “horror and action.”
Even if he never directs a comic book based film, Bong says he’s definitely a fan of the genre. He even considers superhero movies as cinema, something that directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola vehemently disagreed with last year.
“I have so much respect for Scorsese and Coppola, and I grew up studying their films,” Bong said. “So I fully understand the context of their comments and I respect their opinion.
“But on the other hand, if I look at the films individually, I enjoyed “Guardians of the Galaxy,” James Mangold’s “Logan” and “Winter Soldier” by the Russo Brothers. There are great cinematic moments in those films.”
While he’s still celebrating his Oscar win, Bong’s film “Parasite” is being added to a ton of new theaters in the United States with a wider release following the Academy Awards. Bong is staying busy at work on his next two film projects while also working on a limited “Parasite” series for HBO.
