Why is Bong Joon-ho’s “Mickey 17” being released in January 2025? That’s the question everybody seems to be asking. Positioning a film during the dumping grounds of January does not hint at much confidence on the part of Warner Bros, who had originally set up the film for a March 2024 release before delaying it to next year.
The persistent rumor was that of reshoots having occurred on Bong’s “Mickey 17,” and Daniel Richtman had further ignited more controversy by reporting that there was a dispute between Bong and Warner Bros over final cut on the film. The studio wanted to release a more “accessible” version that Bong disapproved of, according to Richtman.
Bong had famously fought with Harvey Weinstein over the cut of his first English-language film, “Snowpiercer,” but he’s now telling Empire Magazine that he had a very different creative experience with Warner Bros.
“With “Okja” and now “Mickey 17,” I was given the final cut as part of my deal,” he explains. “The studio respected my final cut rights.” Which isn’t to say there wasn’t some back and forth. “Of course, during the editing process there are many opinions and many discussions that happen,” he continues. “But this film is my cut, and I’m very happy about it. It was a long process, but it was always smooth and respectful.”
According to “Mickey 17” star Robert Pattinson, what we’re going to be seeing onscreen is Bong’s unfiltered vision. “It’s really cool that a studio has done this film,” Pattinson tells Empire, “and that Bong pushed to have the final cut on it — to make something that does feel incredibly unusual.”
Since last year, multiple versions of “Mickey 17” have been test screened. The $150M movie is currently not a priority for Warner Bros as an earlier report indicated that the studio was much less “pumped” about the film’s prospects than the rest of their 2024/2025 slate. When contacted for comment, a Warner rep insisted: “There is, of course, enthusiasm for it.”
“Mickey 17” centers on an “expendable” (Pattinson), who is a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize an ice world. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact.
This is set to be Bong’s first film since his 2019 Palme d’Or and Oscar winning “Parasite.” The film, starring Pattinson in the lead role, is an adaptation of Edward Ashton’s recently novel. Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo also co-star.