Following rumours that Warner Bros wanted to recut Mickey 17, director Bong Joon-ho confirms the final cut is his.
Here’s a bit of reassuring news. Director Bong Joon-ho has been chatting to Empire and confirmed that the version of Mickey 17 soon to arrive in cinemas is his cut of the film. Originally, word circulated in June that Warner Bros wanted an alternative version of the film.
There were reportedly disputes between the Parasite filmmaker and Warner Bros as to whether Bong’s version of the film was acceptable for release in cinemas, with the studio said to be keen on cutting together a less weird take on the material.
We’re not sure if the studio cut ever got to the point of actually being assembled, but Bong’s version of the film was said to be less ‘accessible’ than Warner Bros was looking for. As such, the delayed release of the film, from March of this year to January 2025 was said to be partly caused by this disagreement.
Happily though, it looks like Bong eventually got his way, with the filmmaker stating: ‘With Okja and now Mickey 17, I was given the final cut as part of my deal. The studio respected my final cut rights. Of course, during the editing process there are many opinions and many discussions that happen. But this film is my cut, and I’m very happy about it. It was a long process, but it was always smooth and respectful.’
Based on the 2022 novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, the film stars Robert Pattinson as a cloned space explorer sent on a mission to a remote, icy planet. The twist is that, each time Pattinson’s Mickey Barnes dies, a new body is printed out to continue his work. Co-starring Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo and Naomi Ackie, among others, the film was shot and completed in December 2022.
The January release slot might suggest that Warner Bros has limited faith in Bong’s cut, even if it eventually relented and conceded to the filmmaker’s wishes. Ultimately, if the studio has hired an Oscar-winning director on the strength of their vision and promised them final cut, it’s important that they respect that.
Any filmmaker following up a film like Parasite – a history-making success on so many levels – surely deserves something of a bit of a ‘free swing’ for their next film. What we’ll get remains to be seen but we’re certainly looking forward to finding out.
Mickey 17 releases on 31st January 2025 in the UK.
