Mickey 17 Release Date, Cast, Director And More Info
Robert Pattinson first made his sci-fi debut in Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" back in 2020, but he hasn't dipped back into the genre since. Bong Joon-ho generated a lot of buzz with his 2019 psychological thriller "Parasite," which swept the Oscars, but has since been quiet. As it turns out, the duo are teaming up on a brand new sci-fi film, "Mickey 17," that's slated to premiere next spring.
"Mickey 17" is a literary adaptation, but Bong Joon-ho is known for taking adaptations off the rails, so there's no telling what he has in store. However, one thing is for sure — the filmmaker will be stepping outside of his comfort zone for this project. The cast features lots of American movie stars, a rarity for Bong, who has worked with primarily Korean casts in most of his films (with notable exceptions like "Snowpiercer" and "Okja"). This promises to be an exciting release, but have the writers' and actors' strikes caused bumps in the road? And who exactly is in the cast? Luckily for you, SlashFilm went digging for the details so you don't have to.
When does Mickey 17 premiere?
"Mickey 17" was originally scheduled to hit theaters on March 29, 2024, but following delays related to the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes which were extended by the AMPTP's refusal to negotiate an equitable deal in a timely manner, the film's date went into flux. The film is being released by Warner Bros. Pictures, who broke back into theatrical releases after the COVID-19 lockdown with the Pattinson-led "The Batman" in March 2022 and has had an incredibly successful 2023 summer at the box office with "Barbie."
The release date ended up being pushed back due to the now-resolved Screen Actors' Guild and Writers' Guild of America strikes, but production was not interrupted. The project began filming in August 2022 and wrapped that same year in December, per Screen Daily. The sci-fi thriller was well into post-production as of September 28th, 2023, a source on the production team told Deadline.
As of February 20, 2024, the release date for "Mickey 17" is January 31, 2025.
What are the plot details of Mickey 17?
The forthcoming film is adapted from Ashton Edward's sci-fi novel "Mickey7," released in February 2022. Mickey is a low-level employee of a sizeable imperialist company that is sent with a troupe of colonizers to settle and subjugate the ice world of Niflheim. Mickey's position on the squad comes with power — every time he dies, a new version of him is regenerated with almost all of his memories intact. However, this puts him in an undesirable position. He gets sent out for the most dangerous missions, even ones that the crew knows will kill him — after all, if he dies, he will simply be reborn.
In the novel, Mickey 7 is starting to reconcile with the harsh truths of the reality that he has signed up for after dying six times. One can only imagine what he might have learned over sixteen deaths. It's possible that the only change to the novel will be the number of times Mickey has died, but Bong's creative adaptation of "Snowpiercer" suggests that he may stray further from the source material. "Hereditary" stand-out Toni Collette, who also stars in "Mickey 17," says that the forthcoming film evades a quick and easy description. "It's funny without trying to be funny, it's really deep and sensitive, but also totally crazy," she told Vogue. "It's pure Bong Joon-ho."
Who is the cast of Mickey 17?
The sci-fi thriller stars Robert Pattinson of "Twilight" fame, whose filmography ranges from blockbusters like "The Batman" to acclaimed indies like "Good Time." Alongside Pattinson is a stacked cast of talented performers, including Toni Collette. Her career has ranged from indies like "Little Miss Sunshine" to whodunits like "Knives Out."
Collette was a fan of Bong long before they worked together and, as it turns out, the feeling was mutual. "I have admired him for so long that when I got the call he wanted to talk to me, I just about exploded," she went on. "Within the first five minutes he said, 'Toni, I've been watching you a long time. I love your work and we've both been doing this for a while so I'm gonna be straightforward here — I want you to be in my movie. I really wanna work with you.'"
The Hulk himself, Mark Ruffalo, is among the remaining cast members, which also include Naomi Ackie of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" and "Master of None." The 2025 movie will also feature Steven Yeun of "The Walking Dead" fame. This will not be Yeun's first time working with Bong Joon-ho — he also starred in his 2017 film "Okja."
Who is the director of Mickey 17?
Although most of Bong Joon-ho's films are in Korean, such as the Oscar-sweeping 2019 film "Parasite," this is not his first foray into English language filmmaking. His 2013 film "Snowpiercer," also a sci-fi adaptation, is almost entirely in English, and his 2017 film "Okja" features English-speaking segments and actors including Yeun, Paul Dano, and Tilda Swinton. However, "Mickey 17" will feature more Hollywood stars than any of his other films. It is not likely to be his last — Collette gives a glowing account of his directing style.
"He is the most beautiful person, so kind and endlessly creative," she elaborated. "He collaborates in a way that is unlike anyone else I've ever worked with. He is where he is today because he's such a beautiful soul. I will never forget working with him on that film, and I honestly don't feel like it's the end of us. I'll work with him again and again if he gives me the opportunity. I feel incredibly bonded to him."
Who are the writers and producers of Mickey 17?
"Mickey 7" author Edward Ashton and Bong Joon-ho co-wrote the script for "Mickey 17." This is Ashton's first screenplay, but Bong has written or co-written all of the films he's directed. Ashton was brought on to keep the screenplay faithful to the novel, but he was impressed by the director's vast knowledge of his work.
"He knew my book better than I did in a number of ways," Ashton admitted to KBS WORLD Radio. "I was just so thoroughly impressed with how well he knew the material and how much he had thought about it. And at that point, if I had any doubts about whether he's the perfect person to do this, they were elated."
The 2024 film is being produced by Dede Gardner who produced "Moonlight" and "If Beale Street Could Talk" through Plan B Entertainment. The production company, co-partnered by Brad Pitt, also produced Bong's 2017 film "Okja." Bong Joon-ho is also producing the 2025 film, along with "Okja" and "Snowpiercer" producer Dooho Choi.
The Mickey 17 teaser trailer
The teaser trailer for "Mickey 17" was released on December 5, 2022, presumably just after production wrapped for the film. It only features a single shot — Pattinson inside a glowing blue machine that resembles an MRI or a tanning bed. Here, he is presumably regenerating as Mickey 17. The dramatic string music and the weathered look on our protagonist's face hint at the film's dark subject matter and tense mood.
Films released so early in the year don't typically generate Oscar buzz. Despite being directed by an Academy Award winner, sci-fi genre films like "Mickey 17" don't tend to get nominated. Perhaps the 2025 thriller will be the sci-fi to break the mold.