How Involved Bong Joon Ho Was In Snowpiercer’s TV Show
Bong Joon Ho was the director of the 2013 Snowpiercer movie, which makes it hard not to wonder whether he was involved in the 2020 follow-up series in any capacity. Based on Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand, and Jean-Marc Rochette’s French graphic novel, Le Transperceneige, Bong Joon Ho’s Snowpiercer is relatively obscure compared to his more mainstream movies like Parasite and Mickey 17. However, it is still touted as one of his best works because of how perfectly it captures themes of class divides, social inequality, climate change, and survival.
Premiered in 2013, Snowpiercer boasts an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 94%. With many renowned actors, like Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, and Ed Harris, as its leads, the movie earned a little over $85 million at the global box office against a budget of $40 million. Its acclaim and decent box office performance led to the creation of a follow-up TV series, which also performed fairly well among critics. However, since the show features none of the cast members from the movie, viewers may be curious whether Bong Joon Ho had anything to do with it.
Bong Joon Ho Was An Executive Producer In The Snowpiercer Show
The Director Was Not Directly Involved With The Show’s Development
Although the Snowpiercer show adopts several ideas captured in the original 2013 movie, Bong Joon Ho had little to do with its overall development. After Marty Adelstein’s Tomorrow Studios optioned the rights for the development of a TV series based on the Korean director’s 2013 film, Bong Joon Ho only hopped on board as an executive producer. The Oscar-winning director was also later consulted during the construction of the show’s set design, which included 1,001 cars of various sizes over four soundstages.
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The show was primarily developed by Josh Friedman and Graeme Manson, and Graeme Manson and Paul Zbyszewski were its leading showrunners. Bong Joon Ho had little to do with its direction choices and screenplay. However, as reports suggest (via Architectural Digest), he did give his approval to the show’s creators after visiting the set almost halfway through its production.
Bong Joon Ho Was “Hands-Off” In The Making Of Snowpiercer’s TV Show
Alison Wright Has Previously Discussed Bong Joon Ho’s Involvement
Alison Wright, who portrays Ruth Wardell in the Snowpiercer series, once opened up (via NY Post) about Bong Joon Ho’s involvement in the project. She revealed that the director “was very hands-off,“ suggesting that he had little to do with the series’ development. Wright’s statement confirms that even though Bong Joon Ho did an incredible job of adapting the movie, he left the show’s creators to their own devices and allowed them to bring their own unique take to the original story instead of influencing the project with his own vision.
… While the movie’s story suggests only one train exists in the post-apocalyptic human world, the show adds another train to the mix, Big Alice, which is operated by Mr. Wilford himself.
This explains why the Snowpiercer series is significantly different from the movie. It not only features a more diverse set of characters but also introduces new technology in its four-season runtime. Additionally, the show’s long runtime also allows it to add more depth to the original film and the graphic novel’s lore. For instance, while the movie’s story suggests only one train exists in the post-apocalyptic human world, the show adds another train to the mix, Big Alice, which is operated by Mr. Wilford himself. Speaking of Wilford, he is not even on the titular train in the show, unlike his movie counterpart.
How The Snowpiercer Show Connects To The Bong Joon Ho Movie
The Series Serves As A Reboot Of The Movie
The Snowpiercer TV show and movie share the same foundational concept and primarily unfold inside the titular globe-encircling train. However, from a narrative standpoint, the two share little to no connections. When it comes to the overarching timeline, the show unfolds around seven years after the post-apocalyptic event. Meanwhile, the movie takes place close to 15 years after the extinction event. None of the characters from the movie are explicitly featured or mentioned in the show, except for Mr. Wilford.
However, since the show and the movie are seemingly set in different universes, even Wilford in both versions is portrayed quite differently. Despite the differences in their stories, timelines, and character beats, both are interesting takes on the original French novel. While the Snowpiercer show is watchable because of how it goes well beyond revolution with its political undertones, Bong Joon Ho‘s version is compelling because it keeps the viewer white-knuckled throughout its runtime by gradually increasing the overarching tension.
