According to the Hollywood Reporter, Sandra Oh (Killing Eve, Grey’s Anatomy) has just been cast in HBO’s new spy drama series, The Sympathizer, as recurring character. Oh is the latest to join the talented cast of HBO’s recently-announced thriller project (more on casting information for The Sympathizer can be found: here), she is joined by fellow actress Kieu Chinh (Faceless Lover, The Joy Luck Club) and singer-songwriter Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen, who is best known for work co-hosting the Paris By Night series.
The Sympathizer is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by author Viet Thanh Nguyen and is a part espionage thriller, part multi-cultural comedy which tells the story of a half-French, half-Vietnamese Captain turned communist spy during the waning days of the Vietnam War and his subsequent exile to the United States. As written by the Hollywood Reporter, The Sympathizer was ordered to series back in July of 2021 and will also star Robert Downey Jr. (Iron-Man, the Sherlock Holmes series) in several different antagonist roles, he is also slated to serve as an executive producer for the show.
The Sympathizer features Hoa Xuade (Cowboy Bebop, (Hungry Ghosts) as the titular character of the Captain, alongside a bevvy of fellow actors hailing from Vietnamese descent, including Fred Nguyen Khan (Murder Mystery, Fatherhood) and Toan Le (Butterfly Dreaming, Bullets, Blood, & A Fistful of Cash). The series is co-production between HBO, A24, and Rhombus Media, in association with Cinetic Media and Moho film.
The critically adored Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Decision to Leave) will act as the series’ co-showrunner with Don McKellar (Last Night, The Grand Seduction), the two will also serve as executive producers alongside author Nguyen, Downey Jr. and his wife, Susan Downey (Dolittle, Gothika), as well as Amanda Burrell (Sweet Tooth, Hot Cities), Kim Ly (Rise, Antiviral, Niv Fichman (Gunless, Child Star), Ron Schmidt (American Taboo, Hellraiser: Deader), and Jisun Back (Snowpiercer, Confession).
Production for The Sympathizer is currently underway in both Los Angeles and Thailand, though a premiere date has yet to be announced.