Bong Joon Ho Says Animated Film Won't Be Ready Until 2025-2026

“Parasite” director Bong Joon Ho (“The Host,” “Snowpiercer”) is likely still walking on the clouds after a historical awards season, Most would be, after ultimately earning well-deserved Oscars for Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film, Best Picture, and Best Director.

The South Korean filmmaker is at the Cannes Film Festival after winning the Palme d’Or in 2019 for “Parasite,” and while speaking at the festival via Indie Wire, he was dishing about upcoming projects such as his untitled animated film about sea creatures. Revealing it was inspired by the visually stunning book “The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of The Abyss” by French author Claire Nouvian (See below).

“Inspired by a French scientific book that my wife bought and brought home. The pictures of the sea creatures were extraordinary. After that, my imagination took over,” the Oscar-winning director said of the inspiration for the animated project.

However, we won’t be getting this animated movie anytime soon as he’ll be doing another project beforehand, and it won’t be ready until around 2025-2026.

Bong Joon Ho continued to explain the reason behind wanting to tackle animation and briefly teased a potential release date, “The underwater colors are absolutely splendid. The starting point was the book. The story and animation flows from it. Animation is something I really wanted to try. I think the project will be done after my next film. I have the team for special effects. It may come out in 2025 or 2026.”

Here is the official synopsis of “The Deep”:

“Combining the latest scientific discoveries with astonishing color imagery, The Deep takes readers on a voyage into the darkest realms of the ocean. Revealing nature’s oddest and most mesmerizing creatures in crystalline detail, The Deep features more than two hundred color photographs of terrifying sea monsters, living fossils, and ethereal bioluminescent creatures, some photographed here for the very first time. Accompanying these breathtaking photographs are contributions from some of the world’s most respected researchers that examine the biology of deep-sea organisms, the ecology of deep-sea habitats, and the history of deep-sea exploration.”

Bong Joon Ho and “Vice“s Adam McKay are also developing a “Parasite” spinoff series at HBO that will focus on another story set in the same universe as the original film but will take place in the United States and will see actor Mark Ruffalo in the lead role. He is also working on another film said to have “unique elements of horror and action.“