Earlier this year, Bong Joon-ho’s upcoming sci-fi film, “Mickey 17,” was delayed to a dubious January 2025 release date. It was originally Bong’s wishes to premiere this one at Cannes, but Warner Bros seems to be dumping it into a dubious January slot. What gives?
The persistent rumor was that of reshoots having occurred on the film and Daniel Richtman is now reporting that there is indeed a dispute going on between Bong and Warner Bros over final cut on the film. The studio wants to release a more “accessible” version that Bong disapproves of.
This also aligns well with multiple versions of “Mickey 17” having already been test screened. The $150 million movie is currently in shaky grounds, and it sounds like Bong won’t be getting his director’s cut released in theaters.
The film started production in the summer of 2022. There hasn’t been much promotional material for it either, save for a measly teaser, and the above image. A recent report from Variety claimed Warners 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.” Damage control.
”Mickey 17,” set to be Bong’s first film since his 2019 Palme d’Or & Oscar winning “Parasite,” stars Robert Pattinson and is an adaptation of Edward Ashton’s recently published novel. Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo also co-star.
The film 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.
Bong is the filmmaker behind critically-acclaimed films such as “Parasite,”“Snowpiercer,” “Mother” “The Host” and “Memories of Murder.”