Robert Pattinson’s last space sci-fi film saw the actor playing a prisoner made to serve his sentence on a shuttle hurtling toward a black hole (among other human-rights offenses, including really messed-up sexual harassment). His next space drama? Mickey 17, a Bong Joon Ho joint based on the novel Mickey7, by Edward Ashton, which tells the story of an employee on an expedition to colonize an ice world — but he’s doing it only for the check. He is cloned so he can continue the dangerous mission, and the number 7 is a reference to how many times he dies. Bong — who wrote, directed, and produced the film — explained the title change via an interpreter at CinemaCon. “I killed him 10 more times!” he said, per Variety. The Oscar-winning Parasite director said that Pattinson was perfect for the part because “he’s got this crazy thing in his eyes,” adding that he believed the actor had the creativity to play all the different variations of the character. Meanwhile, Pattinson — who called Bong his “hero” — said he was told the part was “impossible” when he first got the script, which excited him.
A press tour has been a long time coming for this Warner Bros. film, which was originally set to hit theaters on March 29, 2024 and was later delayed indefinitely. According to Variety, the movie needed more time to finish after the Hollywood strikes and other production shifts. It finally received a release date, and is now set to hit theaters on January 31, 2025.
Not much has been said about the script, but the first look at the film depicts a comatose Pattinson emerging from sleep in what appears to be a cryogenic freezer in what seems like a tricked-out MRI machine in a long, sparse room. Steven Yeun (Minari), Naomi Ackie (I Wanna Dance With Somebody), Toni Collette (Hereditary), and Mark Ruffalo (the Hulk) round out the cast. If Bong’s previous films are anything to go by, Mickey 17 is likely shaping up to be another social thriller. We just hope it’ll thaw on schedule.
This post has been updated.
