Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” won the Palme d’Or in 2019 and the Best Picture Oscar in 2020, which led to him getting carte blanche on whatever he would do next.
Bong finally decided on a pricey major studio film, “Mickey 17,” starring Robert Pattinson, which ended up misfiring. This was a huge gamble for Warner Bros., with a budget rumored to be close to $140M. Given that the film earned only $130M worldwide and brought Bong the most divisive reviews of his career, many laid the blame on him.
Bong is now saying, “Yeah, you should blame me.”
In an interview with Variety, Bong admits the “psychological and mental pressure” that came with making “Mickey 17,” and that it has now led to a career reset where he only wants to “work on smaller films from now on.”
All my films have been released as my director’s final cut, even a movie as big as “Mickey 17,” and all the good parts of that film and all the bad parts of that film came from me. I take full responsibility. So shit on me if you didn’t like it!
Last year, a Puck report described dire test-screening reactions for “Mickey 17” in both 2023 and 2024, and how Bong dismissed Warner Bros.’ warning signs that the film was “testing badly,” citing that “Parasite” had also tested badly.
Warners came up with an alternative cut of “Mickey 17” that reportedly tested 10 points higher than Bong’s version. However, the director had a final-cut clause in his contract and got his way. The rest, as they say, is history.
What does Bong do next? He’ll try to clean up the stench of “Mickey 17” by directing an animated film, “Ally,” his first animated feature, which was recently acquired by Neon and is set for release in 2027.
I’ve narrowed down the hundreds upon hundreds of films that will screen this fall to 34 titles—vote for your most anticipated.