After the critically acclaimed and Oscar-winning movie for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best International Movie, and Best Picture for his 2020 film, Parasite, Bong Joon-ho’s next project stars Batman himself, Robert Pattison in Mickey 17. Releasing on January 31, 2025, this science fiction black comedy from Warner Bros. Studios will enact the fear of space travel and death to mainstream audiences.
Trailer
With a morbid humor in exploring what it’s like to die again and again, we see Mickey Barnes – tired of Earth – apply for a job position as an Expendable, trying to find excitement in exploring a potentially habitable planet. What Mickey should’ve done, is read the job description fully. As an Expendable, Mickey is set on dangerous missions no one’s willing to do, they’re deaths are guaranteed. But someone has to explore Niflheim to see if it’s worth colonizing.
That’s where Mickey comes in. Mickey’s death as an Expandable is reversible with a brand new copy of Mickey’s body and memories, all ready to get back to work. After dying more than 7 times, Mickey’s surprised to meet another version of himself alive. One of them is supposed to have died, now both versions of Mickey will fight to be the only one standing. Set as a dark comedy, if we’ve learned anything about Bong Joon-ho’s art of deception, we can expect a shift in tone as audiences follow Mickey navigate through the icy planet, deal with his other selves that keep popping out of nowhere, all while the spaceship leaders try to exterminate all that is Mickey.
Actors
Robert Pattinson will be acting as Mickey, who sports a particular accent that sounds nothing resembling Pattinson’s American accent in movies such as The Batman and Twilight. It’s not distracting but proves that Pattinson has range as an actor, immersing into the role of Mickey. After his surprising voice acting in Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron, we know he can pull off a major voice change, only this time it’s live-action.
Also starring in Mickey 17 is Naomi Ackie (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker), Steven Yeun (Invincible TV series), Toni Collette (Knives Out), and Mark Ruffalo (Shutter Island). This great cast seems like they’ll embrace the absurdity the trailer gives off, not taking their situation seriously except for Mickey.
Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton
Mickey 17 is based on the book and is the same as the movie’s trailer. Mickey is running from the space colony’s forces who don’t like the idea of Expendable duplicates living simultaneously. The difference not mentioned in the movie is that, after the extermination of multiple Expendables, their bodies are recycled as food for the colony. Whether or not that’ll be adapted in the movie is unclear, but this has the same concept as Bong Joon-ho’s 2014 Snowpiercer. With Mickey’s many versions killing each other for survival, is there an original Mickey, or has he been lost since dying the first time? Nothing is given away in the trailer and the book has the same, dark comedy feel.
Having the esteemed director Bong Joon-ho is enough interest to give this movie a try. Put Robert Pattinson’s name and it’s a guarantee that many people will go to their nearest theater to watch Mickey 7.
For sci-fi recs, check out Bookstr’s 5 Fantastic AAPI Science Fiction Books To Expand Your Imagination!
To browse more books such as Mickey 7, click Dystopian Worlds, Technology, and the Universe in Science Fiction on Bookshop.org!
