'The Sympathizer' Hopper Stone/HBO Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Legendary Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook and his co-creator on the HBO Max series The Sympathizer have been expelled from the Hollywood writers' union after allegedly working during the strike. The director of Oldboy, Snowpiercer and The Handmaiden was booted from the Writers Guild of America alongside Don McKellar after working on the 2024 series during the work stoppage, the union told members Friday. Adapted from the eponymous Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen, the series from A24 and Rhombus Media follows a North Vietnamese double agent (played by Hoa Xuande) who continues passing along information after moving to Southern California before the fall of Saigon. Robert Downey Jr. was critically praised for playing multiple roles in the series. Related Stories News Sen. Elizabeth Warren and 'Hacks' Creator Paul W. Downs Talk Colbert Cancellation and Censorship (Exclusive) TV 'The Gilded Age' Director Salli Richardson-Whitfield on Key Character's Fate Going Into Finale: "No One Saw That Coming" The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to HBO and representatives for Park and McKellar for comment. Park is the most high-profile figure yet to be identified by the union as a rule-breaker during its 148-day strike. In April, the union announced that seven writers had been disciplined, six for allegedly breaking the WGA's strike rules in 2023 and one for constitutional violations. Four of those members appealed their rulings and were named at the time. The decisions were largely upheld in a subsequent member vote. According to the union, Park and McKellar did not appeal their disciplines. The union additionally announced that it has suspended member Anthony Cipriano until May 1 and imposed a lifelong ban on his holding a non-elected union office for writing on The Last Breath f/k/a Untitled True Story Haunting-Thriller Project. A Korean auteur who in 2022 won the best director prize at the Cannes Film Festival for Decision to Leave, Park is currently preparing to debut his latest film, No Other Choice, at the Venice Film Festival. In 2024, Downey Jr. was nominated for an Emmy acting prize for his role in The Sympathizer. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Somebody Somewhere 'Somebody Somewhere' Co-Writer Bridget Everett About Telling a Story of Friendship in the Series Finale The Bear 'The Bear' Is Really a Work Warning for All of Us stand-up comedy Dave Chappelle Shouts Out David Letterman During Screening of His Unreleased Doc The White Lotus TV's Top Shows Are Flirting With Disaster Obituaries Janet Nelson Berger, Casting Director on Prestige TV Programs, Dies at 87 Live Feed Pete Davidson Reveals Origins of 'SNL' Character Chad Somebody Somewhere 'Somebody Somewhere' Co-Writer Bridget Everett About Telling a Story of Friendship in the Series Finale The Bear 'The Bear' Is Really a Work Warning for All of Us stand-up comedy Dave Chappelle Shouts Out David Letterman During Screening of His Unreleased Doc The White Lotus TV's Top Shows Are Flirting With Disaster Obituaries Janet Nelson Berger, Casting Director on Prestige TV Programs, Dies at 87 Live Feed Pete Davidson Reveals Origins of 'SNL' Character Chad