Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar have been expelled from the Writers Guild of America for writing on their HBO limited series “The Sympathizer” during the 2023 writers’ strike, according to media reports.
Additionally, Anthony Cipriano has been suspended until May 1, 2026, for working on “The Last Breath.” He was also given a public censure and a lifetime ban from serving as a future strike captain.
“They investigated dozens of allegations of violations and determined whether there was sufficient evidence to send cases on to the Board for further action,” WGA West leadership said of the Strike Rules Compliance Committee in a Friday statement. “There are no further strike-related disciplines and all Article X proceedings arising from the 2023 strike have concluded.”
The WGA had previously named four members who had appealed their initial accusations of breaking strike rules. In May, guild members voted to expel Edward John Drake and Roma Roth while suspending Julie Bush for a year. The fourth writer’s prior charges and public censure were rescinded.
Park and McKellar were not originally named because they did not appeal their initial punishments. However, the guild decided on Friday that “the disciplines should be made public.” The guild did not specify which violations Park, McKellar and Cipriano committed during the 148-day strike.
“The Sympathizer” starred Hoa Xuande, Sandra Oh and Robert Downey Jr. (in an Emmy-nominated role) and aired from April to May 2024. Meanwhile, “The Last Breath” had the working title of “Untitled True Story Haunting — Thriller Project.”
McKeller and Park also worked together on the upcoming South Korean dark comedy “No Other Choice,” sharing a screenplay credit along with Lee Kyoung-mi and Lee Ja-hye. The movie, directed by Park, will premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival on Aug. 29.
TheWrap has reached out to all four parties involved for further comment. HBO declined to comment.
