Robert Pattinson stars in Parasite director Bong Joon-ho’s sci-fi film, Mickey 17. After a number of delays, here’s the first trailer:
In the last year or so, Warner Bros seems to have gone on a charm offensive, wooing as many celebrated filmmakers as it can to the studio in an attempt to repair the damage its reputation has suffered under the stewardship of David Zaslav. You know what we’re talking about of course: deleting filmmakers’ finished work; throwing films onto its streaming platform on the same day as cinemas; upsetting Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson in one fell swoop.
The list goes on, hence Warner Bros’ attempts to work with as many admired directors as possible and restore the ‘filmmaker friendly’ reputation it was once known for. However, this modern incarnation of the famous old studio is still prone to more than the odd baffling decision, and frankly, the treatment of Oscar-winning director, Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17 is one of those head-scratching choices we don’t yet fully understand.
Mickey 17 is Bong’s first film since Parasite, the universally-admired South Korean satire that went on to become the first ever non-English language film to win the Best Picture Oscar. That’s quite an achievement, and you’d think that Warner Bros would want to keep a filmmaker of that calibre in its stable. However, Mickey 17′s journey to the screen has been a strange one indeed, with the film originally due to release back in March of this year.
Pandemic-related post-production issues then saw it delayed into January of 2025, skipping the festival window that many assumed it would release in. Then there’s the rumours that have dogged the project, suggesting that Bong wasn’t given final cut on the film (although the director refutes that claim). The eventual placement of the film in a January release slot has raised a few eyebrows given it’s an expensive sci-fi movie with a starry cast. The release slot also removes it from awards contention, another odd choice given Bong’s recent win with Parasite.
Either way, Warner Bros has now kicked the promotional campaign into gear for that January release, with the first trailer having emerged. The synopsis goes like this:
‘Mickey, a disposable employee sent to colonise an ice world. Under his contract with the company, anytime he dies his body is simply reprinted – albeit with his memories still preserved. A problem soon happens when, in his 17th incarnation, he comes home to find his 18th incarnation in bed – leading to all sorts of problems of having two versions of him at once.’
Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo, Steven Yeun and Naomi Ackie co-star in the film based on Edward Ashton’s novel. When the film does come out, its reception and performance will be an interesting story to follow given all of the events we’ve recounted above.
Mickey 17 releases on January 31st, 2025 in the UK. Here’s the trailer below.
