After spending the past few decades crafting some of the greatest Korean films of all time, Bong Joon-ho is preparing Mickey 17, one of the most anticipated upcoming book-to-screen adaptations. With a cast led by Robert Pattinson as the titular maintenance clone working in the far reaches of known space, an intriguing story, and some stunning visuals, we could be talking about one of the best sci-fi movies before everything is said and done.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves and instead take a step back and go over everything we know about Bong’s long-awaited follow-up to his Best Picture winner, 2019’s Parasite. From the release date to the cast and so much more, including the trailer, here’s everything we know about Mickey 17 at this point in time.
What Is The Mickey 17 Release Date?
We only have to wait a little while longer to see what Bong Joon-ho is cooking up with his latest features, as Mickey 17 is slated to open in theaters on April 18, 2025.
What Is Mickey 17 About?
Based on everything we’ve heard about the movie so far, Mickey 17 will follow Robert Pattinson’s Mickey, the 17th version (hence the title) of an “Expendable,” as he completes increasingly dangerous missions in space. In the past, previous versions of the clone were disposed of before a new iteration took its place, but that’s not the case here. Instead, Mickey 17 and 18 (the clone who has taken his place), will be forced to find a way to coexist instead of being killed off. However, that’s easier said than done.
The Mickey 17 Cast
Robert Pattinson, who will lead Matt Reeves’ The Batman: Part II at some point in the future, will first be the anchor of Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17 cast, Warner Bros. announced. The versatile actor with several roles proving he’s more than Twilight will take on the part of Mickey, a mysterious figure at the center of the sci-fi thriller’s intricate plot. Pattinson will also be joined by quite the cast of supporting actors as well.
Robert Pattinson as Mickey Barnes
Robert Pattinson will be taking on the role of Mickey, or various versions of Mickey when Mickey 17 opens in theaters. Based on what we’ve seen of the character, the Twilight and The Lighthouse star will be able to show off his wide range in the sci-fi black comedy.
Naomi Ackie
Naomi Ackie will be appearing in Mickey 17 in an undisclosed role. In addition to appearing in movies like Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Ackie has also landed roles on shows like Doctor Who, The End of the F***ing World, and Master of None.
Steven Yeun
Steven Yeun will also show up in Mickey 17. Since making a name for himself as Glenn Rhee on The Walking Dead, Yeun has gone on to appear in critically acclaimed projects like Minari, Nope, and Beef, which earned him a Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Award.
Mark Ruffalo
Mark Ruffalo will follow in the footsteps of several of his fellow MCU actors who’ve appeared in Bong Joon-ho’s movies when shows up in Mickey 17. In the past decade, Ruffalo has also shown off his talents in films like Poor Things, Dark Waters, and Spotlight.
Toni Collette
Toni Collette is also to show up in Mickey 17, continuing a history of working with some of the most inventive filmmakers on the planet. In recent years, Collette has popped up in movies like Nightmare Alley, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, and Knives Out, to name only a few.
The Mickey 17 Trailer
Nearly two years after we saw the mysterious Mickey 17 teaser that got this whole thing started back in December 2022, Warner Bros. finally gave the world a proper look at the upcoming sci-fi movie in September 2024. The first full trailer, which features so much of Robert Pattinson’s various Mickey characters, and their distinct personalities, also set the tone for the highly anticipated black comedy:
The official Mickey 17 trailer presents Pattinson’s character(s) as being darkly comic and varied, which should be a lot of fun to watch in April 2025. And if the rest of the movie is as intriguing and oddly hilarious as this short clip, then audiences are in for a wild ride.
Mickey 17 Is Based On Edward Ashton's Book Mickey7, About A Space Colonist Who Refuses To Let His Clone Take His Place
Mickey 17 is based on Edward Ashton’s 2022 sci-fi novel, Mickey7. According to the book’s publishing company, Macmillan Publishers, the thriller follows a character named Mickey7, an “expendable” who refuses to let his replacement clone take over when realizing he has already been replaced, after his colony on the ice world of Niflheim reported him missing and presumed dead.
If keeping his double a secret from everyone else isn’t hard enough, Mickey7 also has to deal with the increasingly curious native life on the frozen planet, which further complicates everything.
However, when speaking at the San Sebastian Film Festival’s Creative Investor Conference in September 2023 (via Deadline), Plan B Entertainment Co-president Jeremy Kleiner alluded to director Bong Joon-ho adding his unique vision to the project:
Those of you who know the book will know it has some genre elements, but it’s very director Bong. It’s an example of repeat business with a director that we admire… but doing it in kind of a new setting.
The nature of those changes Bong (who worked with Plan B on Okja) made to the source material is something we’ll have to find out when the movie opens in theaters.
Robert Pattinson Has Said Mickey 17 Is Unlike Anything He’s Done Before
If you look at Robert Pattinson’s best movies, you’ll see a lot of performances that appear to have tested the actor physically, mentally, and emotionally. This is especially true for the A24 horror movie, The Lighthouse, and his dark sci-fi flick, High Life. However, during an interview with the Evening Standard Magazine, the actor revealed that Mickey 17 was unlike anything he’s ever done before, saying:
It’s with Parasite director Bong Joon-ho and it’s like nothing I’ve ever done before. The movie is so crazy, it’s a completely different style of working. … It’s so much talking.
It will certainly be interesting to see more of Pattinson’s performance, especially with the various versions of his character interacting after experiencing all life, and space, throws at them.
What Will Mickey 17 Be Rated?
There has been no word on what Mickey 17 will be rated, but based on Bong Joon-ho’s previous films, as well as what we’ve heard about the upcoming sci-fi movie so far, we can speculate. Bong’s movies are typically given an R-rating in the United States (Ojka was TV-MA since it was a Netflix original), and so there’s reason to believe that will once again be the case for the filmmaker’s next project.
Expect to hear more about Mickey 17 in the coming weeks and months as we creep closer to the start of the 2025 movie schedule, at which point we’ll need to make some changes to our list of every Bong Joon-ho movie, ranked.
