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Dream Casting: The American 'Parasite' remake
Dream Casting is an imaginative look at the casting process of potential Hollywood projects based on comics and other media. This isn't just about what is being made; this is about what should be made, and who we think should be the stars.
Bong Joon-ho's Parasite did great at the Academy Awards, and we already know there's an American version coming, but it's going to be a TV miniseries co-produced by Bong Joon-ho and Adam McKay, so it definitely has a solid chance of at least being interesting.
For this week, I took the central characters of the movie and tried to imagine who might play them on American television. I figure this version will be set in an American city, and it seems likely that some element of race will be added to the class issues at the heart of the Korean film.
In casting this American Parasite, I identified the characters by their role in the story, because I figured they'll all have different names anyway.
(And yeah, Parasite isn't exactly 'genre,' but it isn't exactly not either, so ... here we go!)
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR PARASITE HEREIN ...
Benicio del Toro as the Poor Father
Benicio del Toro (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) has the unique mix of warmth, weirdness, and ability to act with or without words that makes him a match for the legendary Song Kang-ho in the original.
Salma Hayek as the Poor Mother
Obviously Salma Hayek (From Dusk Till Dawn) would need to tone down her usual level of glamour for this role, but she absolutely has the chops to pull it off.
Anthony Ramos as the Poor Son
Anthony Ramos (She's Gotta Have It) has a ton of charisma, as we saw in his random appearance at the Oscars, and he totally seems like somebody who could charm his way into a job he has no credentials for.
Cierra Ramirez as the Poor Daughter
Cierra Ramirez (Good Trouble) brings a whole other fanbase to a project like this, plus she'll be great as the document forger turned art therapist, who in this version I like to imagine might pass herself off as Spanish or Italian.
Alison Brie as the Rich Mother
Yeo-jeong Jo brings a fun ditzy energy to this character in the movie, and I think Alison Brie (GLOW) could be similarly hilarious.
Dax Shepard as the Rich Father
Dax Shepard (Bless This Mess) is also a really funny actor, and he's really good at seeming charming in one moment and then turning on a time and being a total d-bag, which is exactly what this character needs to do.
Sadie Sink as the Rich Daughter
Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) is a really promising young actress whose maturity as a performer will probably help navigate the creepy situations the character finds herself in.
Archie Yates as the Rich Son
Archie Yates is a scene-stealer in Jojo Rabbit, and I like imagining him as the demented son of privilege. I'm curious to see if the character will still be obsessed with Native Americans or if they'll change that to something else.
Octavia Spencer as the Housekeeper
The rich family's original housekeeper is keeping some dark secrets, and Octavia Spencer (Ma, Truth Be Told) can make the most of that foreboding mysteriousness.
Colman Domingo as the Ghost
I don't want to spoil the nature of this mysterious character, but I will say that Coleman Domingo (Fear the Walking Dead) is perfect because he can seem both pathetic and dangerous, and he'll be a great presence in the climax of the film.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of SYFY WIRE, SYFY, or NBCUniversal.
