You enjoy one Yes, Robert Downey Jr., but how about a few of them? That appears to have been the pitch for “The Sympathizer,” a new limited series from renowned South Korean director Park Chan-wook on HBO Max — oops, make that Max now, following Warner Bros. Discovery’s recent rebranding push. The tense narrative is based on the Pulitzer Prize–winning book of the same name by Viet Thanh Nguyen, and it stars “Cowboy Bepop” star Hoa Xuande as a North Vietnamese spy operating in the United States while remaining undetected. The highly explosive thriller, which takes place in the closing stages of the Vietnam War, promises to hold all of the original book’s power. Oh, and Downey Jr. makes an appearance to play a number of different characters in wildly diverse outfits, each of which represents a different aspect of American bureaucracy.
Warner Bros. Discovery debuted the brand-new trailer for “The Sympathizer” during a special presentation earlier today. After years of Downey, Jr. collecting paychecks from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the actor’s decision to take on much more difficult films, such as Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and this, is incredibly invigorating. We’re not just talking about the master of disguise here; this trailer must be seen to be believed. Take a look at it below!
Watch The Sympathizer trailer
In addition to Hoa Xuande, Robert Downey, Jr., Toan Le, Ky Duyen, and Sandra Oh, “The Sympathizer” also stars Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Ky Duyen, and Park Chan-wook as co-showrunners. The intensely controversial political thriller and spy series will also have Park Chan-wook directing Episodes 1 through 3, Fernando Meirelles for Episode 4, and Marc Munden for Episodes 5 through 7. Mark Richard, Naomi Iizuka, Maegan Houang, Anchuli Felicia King, and Tea Ho are some of the writers for the series, which is being co-produced by HBO, A24, and Rhombus Media.