Bong Joon Ho’s Animated Film is Already “Halfway Done"

The way things are going, Bong Joon Ho’s first animated film will be released before his much-delayed “Mickey 17.”

Of course, I’m half kidding here, but there are now reports (via Screen Daily) that Bong’s untitled animated feature is making significant progress as it’s already “halfway done.” Seo Woo-sik, CEO of Barunson E&A, shared the update with The Korea Herald at the sidelines of Red Sea International Film Festival.

Apparently, Bong hand-drew the entire storyboard of the animated film which began production this summer, and is loosely inspired by Claire Nouvian’s French novel The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss.

It had recently been reported that Werner Herzog joined the voice cast of Bong’s hand-drawn animated feature, according to Variety. No plot details have been revealed at this time, but the film is said to tackle deep sea creatures, and the relationship between marine life and humans. The filmmaker has admitted that he wants to keep the story secret.

The still untitled film is set to become the most expensive production in Korean film history, and Sony Pictures is rumored to have hopped onboard with plans for a worldwide release. The cost, translated into USD, would be that of around $52M.

Bong has been working on the screenplay since 2018. The script was completed in January 2021. What we do know is that “Parasite” and “Burning cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo will be in charge of the visual lighting.

Meanwhile, Bong’s “Mickey 17” is now set for release in April 2025. We’ll see if it sticks to that date or if it, again, gets delayed.