Park Chan-wook expelled from The Writers Guild of America

Yahoo

3 days ago

Park Chan-wook has been expelled from The Writers Guild of America. The Old Boy director, 61, was drummed out of the group as it has taken a firm stance on strike violations, and said Park and Don McKellar were no longer welcome in the organisation for working on their mini-series during the 2023 writers' walk-out. It said in a statement about Park and Don's expulsions: 'The board had decided that the disciplines should be made public.' Celebrated South Korean writer, director and producer Park also known for his film The Handmaiden, and Canadian actor and filmmaker Don McKellar, were both removed from the WGA for writing on the HBO miniseries The Sympathizer. The seven-episode series, starring Hoa Xuande and Robert Downey Jr., is based on the 2015 novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen and aired in 2024. The WGA confirmed neither Park nor McKellar appealed their expulsions. Anthony Cipriano has also faced significant disciplinary action – a suspension through May 1, 2026, a public censure, and a lifetime ban from serving as a strike captain for writing on The Last Breath, previously known as Untitled True Story Haunting – Thriller Project. The WGA revealed this was part of ongoing enforcement following the 2023 strike, with seven writers disciplined overall. Four writers were publicly identified after choosing to appeal, while three others – including Park, Don and Anthony – were only named recently. The guild's leadership expressed gratitude for the Strike Rules Compliance Committee, which reviewed dozens of allegations and forwarded cases to the board. It added in a statement: 'The board and the officers also thanked the members of the various trial committees, who heard testimony and delivered recommendations on discipline to the board. 'All of these members volunteered their time for the delicate but necessary task of holding writers accountable to fulfill their obligations to their fellow members under the Strike Rules, Working Rules and WGAW Constitution.' Park's upcoming Korean film No Other Choice is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival later this month. Don, who shares a screenplay credit on that film with Park and collaborators Lee Kyoung-mi and Lee Ja-hye, is also known for his work on 1998's Last Night.