All You Need to Know About Bong Joon-ho’s Upcoming Film ‘Mickey 17’

Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho’s upcoming sci-fi film Mickey 17 is scheduled to be theatrically released on March 29th, 2024. Starring Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo and Holliday Grainger, Mickey 17 is based on Edward Ashton’s novel Mickey7. It explores the philosophical question of identity and the contradiction between classes through the main character, who constantly revives as a human clone.

As part of a dangerous expedition to colonize the ice world Niflheim, the novel introduces Micky 7, an “expendable” android. When one version dies, a new body is created while still retaining the majority of his prior memories. After six deaths, Mickey reincarnates as Mickey 7, who survives a hazardous assignment despite being presumed dead. Upon his return, he discovers his clone Mickey 8, and the two must now hide their dual existences.

Reportedly, the ‘Ship of Theseus’ paradox – which raised questions about identity and changes over time – is resolved in this science-fiction tale about space exploration. The paradox focuses on the question of whether or not a ship would be the same if all of its components were changed. As part of his explanation of Mickey7, Edward Ashton told the media that the teleportation paradox, a philosophical conundrum, had long consumed his thoughts. He said that when you precisely clone your mind into another body, the question is whether the resulting person is the real you. So, he began to imagine someone who embodied the dichotomy, and also felt the need to envision a challenging situation for the individual. That served as his inspiration for The Expendables and gave Mickey life.

Bong Joon-ho is writing, directing and producing the film adaptation of this book for Warner Bros. Mickey 17 will follow Parasite, his Oscar-winning black-comedy thriller. What distinguishes Bong’s films from other works are the abrupt variations in tone between drama, melancholy and dark humor. The Film Stage claims that because Mickey 17‘s premise blends social criticism, bleak comedy and sickening horror, it is the ideal theme for the filmmaker. The number in Mickey7 relates to the number of clones Mickey goes through after repeatedly dying. Therefore, it is clear that Mickey 17 marks a significant expansion of the work by Bong, they added.

Infusing his creative vision into the replication of original work is Bong’s way of creating radically distinct entertainment and realizing his narrative goals with every movie he makes. It should go without saying that almost every actor wishes to collaborate with him. Unsurprisingly, many of Hollywood’s elite actors vied for Mickey’s role and, according to sources, Bong chose Robert Pattinson to play the character.

The brief trailer for Mickey 17 features Pattinson awakening in what appears to be some sort of technologically advanced cell and gazing directly into the lens as if penetrating your soul, an image that is befitting for the character. The “Devil’s Trill Sonata” by Guiseppe Tartini, from which the background music is taken, was created after the composer awoke from an especially vivid dream in which the devil displayed fierce dexterity on the violin. The BGM fits perfectly with the trailer sequence that corresponds to Tartini waking up from his dream. Additionally, in popular culture, “Devil’s Trill” frequently appears in horror-themed storylines. Perhaps this also explains why it pairs so well with the clip.

I expect the film to be a creative interpretation of the book. The idea that Mickey would die 16 times rather than six (as described in the novel) whets my curiosity even more. I’ve always been a fan of Bong Joon-ho’s cinema, and now that Mickey 17 is in the works and I’ve learned more about it, I have a feeling there will be far more twists and turns in store.