After making history with Parasite, director Bong Joon-ho’s has teamed up with current reigning Batman Robert Pattinson for his next film, Mickey 17. The pitch-black sci-fi comedy, based on the 2022 Edward Ashton book Mickey7, asks the question: “What does it feel like to die?” The answer comes from its protagonist, Mickey (Pattinson), who signs up to join a government program where he must die over and over again for the sake of societal progress. It’s all very cryptic, but here’s everything we know about Mickey 17 so far:
What is the plot of Mickey 17?
Bong wrote the script as an adaptation of Mickey7. That novel is about ‘Expendable’ Mickey7, a “disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim,” according to a plot description. “Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous—even suicidal—the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal…and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it.”
Based on the first trailer for Mickey 17 (below), it seems the film follows this plotline pretty faithfully despite the expanded number of Mickeys. In the clip, we see Pattinson’s Mickey, who has a vaguely Midwestern accent, fill out an application to be an “expendable,” declaring life on earth to no longer be worth it. As he’s sent on mission after mission where he must die some gory or strange death, he is regenerated back to life. In classic Bong Joo-ho style, the whole thing has a dark humor to it, with Dean Martin’s jaunty “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head” soundtracking Mickey’s seemingly endless deaths.
Who else is in the Mickey 17 cast?
In addition to Pattinson in the title role, the Mickey17 cast so far includes Mark Ruffalo, Nope’s Steven Yeun, Hereditary and The Staircase star Toni Collette, and Blink Twice’s Naomi Ackie.
When will Mickey 17 be released?
The film will hit theaters early next year, on January 31, 2025.
