In October, I reported that Bong Joon-ho’s “Mickey 17” would most likely have its March 29, 2024 release delayed to the summer. That still hasn’t happened, but my sources keep telling me that it will.
The folks over at EmpireCity are hearing the same, they’re reporting that Bong’s film might will be released in the summer. There hasn’t been much promotional material for the film either, save for a measly teaser, and it’s supposed to be unveiled in just a few months? Highly doubtful.
I had heard that Warner was pushing the film back to a late May — early June slot, with a big splashy premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Bong’s last film (“Parasite”) won the Palme d’Or, so it would be a big return to the fest for the Korean auteur.
Last summer, those lucky enough to have attended a test screening of Bong “Mickey 17” got quite the experience. The film is said to be a true original.
Here’s the one reaction I could muster up:
Hey, I attended the Mickey 17 screening last night and I thought it was fantastic. Perfectly conveys the mood and directorial ticks of all his previous films; it’s funny but also cleverly political and though action and adventure take a back seat it’s always doing something sharp and thrilling. Robert Pattinson is wonderfully unhinged in twin roles, very reminiscent of the performances in Fight Club, Mark Ruffalo is delivering a very Trump-ian performance that akin to Tilda Swinton in Snowpiercer and if that’s not enough Toni Colette is just as evil and always in his ear. The production is stunning, big sets and practical effects with very minimal CGI work and the cinematography here is like super close to so much of David Finchers work, so stunning and very much a likely contender for a nomination. It was quite an experience. The introducer emphasized how early it was in the process with very minimally done but 75% was pretty much polished and ready to go with just a score and sound design missing. So much of it was clearly practical.
I’m quite happy that this one won’t be a total CGI bonanza and that practical effects are being used. Bong is known to do that — his films include “Parasite,” “Snowpiercer,” “Mother” and “Memories of Murder.”
“Mickey 17,” an adaptation of Edward Ashton’s recently published novel, stars Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo.