From the visionary mind behind Parasite comes Mickey 17, Bong Joon Ho’s much-anticipated return to the director’s chair. Starring Robert Pattinson in a mind-bending sci-fi thriller, the film hits Philippine cinemas on March 5, 2025.
Bong Joon Ho on the Novel That Captivated Him
The Oscar-winning director was immediately drawn to Mickey 7, Edward Ashton’s novel on which the film is based. Bong described the concept of human printing—a unique twist on cloning—as instantly fascinating.
“I thought that it had such a unique concept, which is human printing, and that’s very different from human cloning,” says the filmmaker. “It’s like you’re printing out humans as if human beings are just pieces of paper, documents to be printed out. And I thought that human printing – even in the expression itself – we could sense the tragedy of that condition and that profession. And so, I started thinking about what it would be like to actually be that person being printed out. All these thoughts came to me and I was completely in that world instantly.”
“Even in the original novel, Mickey is quite an average person… but I wanted to make him even more average, even lower class, even more of a loser,” says Bong. “And so, all these ideas for adapting the story came to me instantly. I was fascinated by the concept of human printing and just captivated by the character of Mickey, who is not a superhero, who is this everyman, normal, average man going through this crazy journey.”
Robert Pattinson on Working With Bong Joon Ho
For Pattinson, taking on the role of Mickey was an easy decision. He praised Bong’s filmmaking prowess, calling him “a filmmaker every actor dreams of working with.”
On reading the script, Pattinson recalls, “It’s one of those scripts where I haven’t read anything like it in a long time, and I don’t think I’ll ever read anything like it again. Then to know that it’s someone with his level of pedigree coming to this script which, in some ways, is also like a sci-fi farce.”
“Actually, I have no idea how to describe it to people at all. Even just the beginning: ‘So, it’s about a pastry chef in the future. He has a macaron shop. And he takes out a very risky loan with loan sharks and then he gets onto a mission to space, where he gets reprinted over and over again.’ [Laughs] You go off the rails almost immediately trying to describe it. At first, I thought it was a risk, but as soon as I started doing it, it didn’t feel like a risk at all. Bong just has such extreme certainty about what he wants to shoot and so much confidence that you get into his rhythms really quickly.”
A Mind-Bending Sci-Fi Experience
Mickey 17 follows unlikely hero Mickey Barnes (Pattinson), a disposable employee on a deep-space mission where dying is just part of the job. Each time he perishes, his employer simply prints out a new version of him. But when Mickey realizes he doesn’t want to be replaced, things spiral into chaos.
The film boasts a powerhouse cast, including Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo. Produced by the award-winning team behind Moonlight and 12 Years a Slave, Mickey 17 promises a gripping, visually stunning, and thought-provoking cinematic experience.
Catch Mickey 17 in Cinemas on March 5!
Get ready for a sci-fi journey unlike any other! Don’t miss Mickey 17, directed by Bong Joon Ho, and starring Robert Pattinson, in Philippine cinemas on March 5, 2025. Join the conversation! Use the hashtag #Mickey17
Photo & Video Credit: “Warner Bros. Pictures”
