Director Park Chan-wook has been expelled from the Writers Guild of America (WGA).
On the 8th (local time), Variety and other foreign media reported that the WGA confirmed the expulsion of Director Park Chan-wook, who participated in writing the HBO miniseries "The Sympathizer," and Canadian actor-director Don McKellar.
According to the guild, the two were found to have violated strike rules by continuing to work on the screenplay of the project during the WGA strike in 2023. Park Chan-wook and McKellar did not appeal the expulsion.
"The Sympathizer" is a seven-part drama based on the novel of the same name by Vietnamese-American author Viet Thanh Nguyen, which tells the story of a North Vietnamese spy who fled to the United States after the Vietnam War. It stars Hoa Suande, Robert Downey Jr., Sandra Oh, and others, and is set to air in 2024. Park Chan-wook is involved in co-production, screenwriting, and directing.
The WGA went on strike from May to September 2023, demanding wage increases, fair revenue distribution tailored to the streaming platform era, and restrictions on the use of AI. The strike caused a major halt in U.S. film and drama production, and some writers faced disciplinary actions for breaching regulations.
Since Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar have lost their WGA membership, they cannot officially work as writers on film and TV projects under the guild's jurisdiction in the U.S. They are also excluded from minimum wage, residuals, and welfare benefits guaranteed by the WGA. Participation in studio, broadcasting, and OTT productions that require WGA contracts will only be possible through "non-union writer" agreements, significantly limiting practical opportunities.
Meanwhile, Director Park Chan-wook has gained global fame with works like "Oldboy" (2003) and "The Handmaiden" (2016), and his next film "There's No Help" is set to be released domestically in September.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]