Bong Joon-ho Returns with 'Mickey 17' After Six Years

On January 20, 2025, a press conference for Bong Joon-ho's latest film 'Mickey 17' was held at the CGV Yongsan in Seoul. The event featured director Bong Joon-ho, lead actor Robert Pattinson, who plays the expendable character Mickey, and script supervisor Sharon Choi.

'Mickey 17' is based on Edward Ashton's 2022 novel 'Mickey 7' and tells the unpredictable story of Mickey, an expendable worker who is printed anew each time he dies. As he faces his 17th death, a new version, Mickey 18, is printed, leading to unforeseen events.

Bong Joon-ho, who made history at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020 with 'Parasite' by winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film, returns with 'Mickey 17' after a six-year hiatus. This global project is produced by Plan B's Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Bong's production company Offscreen, and Kate Street Picture Company’s Choi Doo-ho. Notably, this marks Bong's first collaboration with major Hollywood studio Warner Bros., making it a highly anticipated film worldwide. 'Mickey 17' is Bong's third English-language film, following 'Snowpiercer' (2013) and 'Okja' (2017).

The cast is star-studded, featuring Robert Pattinson, Tilda Swinton, who has collaborated with Bong on 'Snowpiercer' and 'Okja', and Mark Ruffalo, known for his role as the Hulk in the 'Avengers' series.

During the press conference, Bong expressed his excitement about returning to such events, stating, "Although 'Mickey 17' is a sci-fi film, it is also a deeply human story filled with the essence of humanity. I want to portray Mickey as an ordinary, powerless, and pitiful young man. I strive to write scripts that AI cannot replicate, and I will continue to do so."

He elaborated on the film's themes, saying, "The protagonist has a tragic job where he repeatedly dies. This is not the typical story of a clone; it’s about the act of creating a human. While it may seem inhumane, it is not a political message. It’s a coming-of-age story for Mickey. In the original, Mickey dies seven times, but in our film, he dies ten more times, creating the 17th Mickey to express the feeling of a laborer. We wanted to create a more relatable sci-fi experience, which we jokingly refer to as 'smelly sci-fi.'"

Robert Pattinson, making his first visit to Korea for the film, greeted fans in Korean, expressing his surprise at never having visited Seoul before. He humorously mentioned considering moving to Korea, saying, "I’m thinking about getting an apartment here." He praised the Korean film industry, stating, "I want to work on more Korean projects in the future."

Pattinson described the script as engaging and complex, noting that Mickey is a character unlike any he has portrayed before. He compared Mickey to a mischievous dog he once owned, emphasizing the character's journey of self-discovery through repeated deaths.

Bong shared his thoughts on casting Pattinson, stating, "I had been impressed by his performances in indie films and thought he was the only one who could portray the duality of Mickey 17 and Mickey 18."

Pattinson praised Bong's unique vision and humor, stating, "Bong Joon-ho is among the top directors in the world. His films resonate emotionally and defy genre boundaries. I was excited to work with such a detail-oriented director, which was a new experience for me."

Despite the film's high expectations, 'Mickey 17' has faced multiple release date changes, initially set for March 29, 2023, then postponed to January 28, 2024, and again to April 18, 2024, before finally being scheduled for March 7, 2025, in North America. Bong commented on the changes, saying, "I found the shifting release dates intriguing. This has never happened with my films before. There were many external factors involved, but I’m happy it’s finally being released."

'Mickey 17' is set to premiere in South Korea on February 28, 2025, before its North American release on March 7, 2025.