Parasite is one of the best movies of 2019, the South Korean masterpiece is hotly tipped to win a lot of awards this year, it has its own message about the poverty line compared to the wealthy and the desperate action people would go to for a new life.
This will be looking to create an American version of Parasite, we are going to go with a cast that will show the different class lines in America between the families, this would end up showing a slightly different complete message, with the different culture involved between the two countries, but I won’t be going with any political messages in my selection, my other rule is simple, I want to keep the acting choices fresh, so will try and pick selection that haven’t worked together. This is also just for fun, I don’t want to see this movie remade by the American studios.
Kim family
Ki-taek (The Father) Kang-ho Song to John C Reilly The Father has always been trying to find a quick job to help his family, he will always learn to adapt to any situation that gets offered to him, he gets a job as a driver who is always about to snap, while his new boss can give insults, when he doesn’t know he is listening. John C Reilly is an actor that knows how to make his characters stir on insults, lets them ride and slowly sink in, not always having the thick skin he shows on the outside, which is what this character would need.
Ki-woo (The Son) Woo-sik Choi to Timothee Chalamet The Son of this family is the member of the family that could easily have the brightest future, he needs the chance for college though, which after faking a couple of documents, meant he could become the tutor, he is in the middle of wanting to be part of his family or escaping to a future that wouldn’t see him struggling. This character needs to be someone that comes off like a nice guy, one that is smart and one that girls would like to be around, if this doesn’t describe Timothee perfectly, then I don’t know who else could do this role.
Ki-jung (The Daughter) So-dam Park to Hailee Steinfeld The Daughter in the family is a tech smart character, she will use her knowledge to make sure the family can get any connections, make any fake paperwork to get a chance at a job and takes the role of child psychologist who helps the youngest member of the Park family deal with his nightmares. Hailee has always been able to bring a confidence to her performances, one that would be needed for this role and something that she would be entertaining in with her one-liners.
Chung-sook (The Mother) Hye-jin Jang to Melissa McBride The Mother is the quietest member of the family, she ends up replacing the housekeeper, needing to just be in the background of the Park’s family life. The one thing Melissa McBride has made a household name with her acting is in the Walking Dead, a quiet on the outside, warrior on the inside figure, which is how a lot of the Mother’s character unfolds through the film.
Park family
Dong-ik (The Father) Sun-kyun Lee to Will Smith The Father of the wealth family comes of like a nice guy, he knows he is a workaholic that will support for his family, he loves his family and will often look down on the poorer, though he does this in private, respecting the ones that work hard, like the driver he needs. This character needs confidence, which is the one quality that Will Smith hasn’t managed to lose in his recent years, he needs an edgier role that he hasn’t been able to get for a few years to bring new fresh revival to his career.
Yeon-kyo (The Mother) Yeo-jeong Jo to Lupita Nyong’o The Mother has gotten used to living in the life of luxury, she will get the housekeeper to do all the work around the house, while she shops, she gets us to the help the family receives and can easily be manipulated not being the brightest of the family. Lupita Nyong’o is one of the most talented actresses around and while you could argue, she is too big of a name for the size of the role, it would give her a chance to shine in a pure comedy role.
Da-hye (The Daughter) Ji-so Jung to Amandla Stenberg The Daughter is getting private tuition, while we would change the subject here, she does get a crush on the tutor in Ki-woo and always wants him to come to the family occasion. Amandla has been proving herself with her leading performances in recent years, while some have been struggling in the box office, some have gotten critical success and her performances have always been praised no matter the popularity of the film.
Other characters
Moon-gwang (The Housekeeper) Jeong-eun Lee to Octavia Spencer The Housekeeper has always been there for the Park family, she knows how to have everything prepared for the family and never gets in their way. Octavia Spencer would be perfect for this role, the character that can be important while on screen, while hiding a big secret, which would lead to the bigger more chaotic moments in the film.
Geun-se (The Ghost) Myeong-hoon Park to Barkhad Abdi The Ghost appears from the basement, he has been living under the house for years, in hiding with his wife feeding him whenever they are alone, he owes too much money to be able to live a normal life and isn’t willing to let anybody takeaway the life he has created in the basement, however bleak it looks. Barkhad proved in Captain Phillips that he can make a character with a small figure, show his desperation when it comes to making a living and this is everything we need in this character.
Director – Bong Joon Ho to Jordan Peele If we are going to be making this American, we need to find director that can handle the social messages involved, with two excellent movies in Get Out and Us under his belt, this would be an easy project for Jordan to bring enough of a spin to make it his own work.
