Mickey 17 Release Date, Cast, Director, Teaser And More Details

When it comes to turning compelling science fiction stories into live-action adaptations, Hollywood has been known to get it right once in a while, especially when the right director and actor join forces for the project. Even though many contenders get put in development all the time, "Mickey 17" stands out as a solid candidate for another cinematic sci-fi success story, mostly because of the well-crafted source material and the talent chosen to bring the story to life on the big screen.

"Mickey 17" is based on a book called "Mickey7" written by Edward Ashton, a renowned science fiction author known for other works such as "Three Days in April," "The End of Ordinary," and the "Mickey7" sequel "Antimatter Blues." Ashton's 2022 novel has been described as "The Martian" meets "Multiplicity," and NPR called it "A wildly entertaining mix of action and big ideas peppered with humor and a bizarre love story." By those accounts, the thought-provoking narrative getting the book-to-screen treatment certainly seems like a complex challenge, and it sounds like it will feature a unique blend of genres. Fortunately, some reliable individuals known for taking on bold projects with excellent results have been recruited for the Warner Bros. Pictures feature film, with the most notable being Academy Award winner Bong Joon Ho and "The Batman" star Robert Pattinson.

Between the fascinating storyline and the popular players involved, there are plenty of reasons for fans to get excited about "Mickey 17."

The film was first announced in an exclusive report from Deadline in January 2022 when it was confirmed that Bong Joon Ho would be adapting "Mickey7" into a feature film, acting as his follow-up to "Parasite," the first non-English movie to take home the coveted honor of best picture at the Oscars. Robert Pattinson was said to be in talks and was gearing up for the release of "The Batman" later in March. When it was announced that those two were involved, there was an abundant amount of hype surrounding the project, especially since the book it was based on hadn't come out yet. The novel written by Edward Ashton would be released the following month, in February.

According to KFTV.com, filming for the motion picture began in the U.K. at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, on August 22, 2022. It was later confirmed by Screen Daily that the production was completed in December 2022. And they didn't waste any time unveiling the title and release date in the same month. A report from Variety revealed the title would be "Mickey 17" and that the movie would premiere in theaters on March 29, 2024.

The adaptation is set in a future where employees are sent out on dangerous expeditions to colonize planets in deep space. But terraforming new worlds is risky, so much so that a disposable workforce is there to assist the crew. The people sent out to do the more dangerous tasks are "expendable," and when one of them dies, the individual's consciousness is uploaded to an exact copy of that person who will continue the job. The film follows what happens when one of these workers refuses to be replaced by another version of himself.

The book is called "Mickey7" because it follows the seventh iteration of an expendable worker named Mickey, and it's unknown why Bong Joon Ho went with the name "Mickey 17" instead. It's also a mystery regarding how much the filmmaker will stick to the source material because the book's story asks some fascinating questions. "It's got some philosophical underpinnings based on a problem people have been chewing over for the last 400 years or so, which is called the teletransport paradox," author Edward Ashton revealed in an interview with SUNY Brockport. "This is a question was first raised in 1455, and the question is if you're able to copy your mind, your personality, everything about you, your love of strawberry ice cream, your hatred of electronic dance music, copy it all into another body would that new person be you or some guy touching all of your stuff?"

While the exact plot details for what promises to be a mind-bending experience are unknown, there is little to no mystery surrounding the people making up the cast of "Mickey 17."

While he is most famous for the "Twilight" saga and "The Batman," Robert Pattinson's efforts, such as "Tenet," "High Life," and "The Lighthouse," prove the actor isn't afraid to star in a mind-bending experience. "Mickey 17" looks to be another exceptional addition to his body of work, and based on the plot, the actor will be playing more than one character at a time. When discussing the film with ES magazine, Pattinson didn't give away much except that he had a lot of dialogue, and when describing his overall experience, he said, "It's like nothing I've ever done before. The movie is so crazy, it's a completely different style of working."

But he isn't the only talented player on the roster for "Mickey 17." In May 2022, Deadline reported that Mark Ruffalo, Naomie Ackie, and Toni Collette would also be in the lineup. "Hereditary" star Toni Collette did her best to put what the film is into words. "You can't really define it, " the actor said to Vogue. "It's funny without trying to be funny, it's really deep and sensitive, but also totally crazy. It's pure Bong Joon-ho." "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" actor Naomie Ackie mentioned a similar outlook regarding the film. "The cast on it are incredible, director Bong is one of the most genius and kind men I've ever had the privilege to work with," she told GamesRadar. "The story is heartwarming and wild and funny. We had a lot of fun, there was a lot of laughter on that set." 

In July 2022, Deadline announced that Steven Yeun of "Walking Dead" and "Nope" fame would be in the cast as well.

It's no secret that Bong Joon Ho is widely regarded as one of the industry's best filmmakers, especially after the success of "Parasite." The black comedy feature was a box office success, won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, earned six Academy Award nominations, and took home four Oscars, including the night's most celebrated prize. But the writer, director, and producer has put together several impressive titles besides the 2019 game changer, from crime dramas like "Mother" and "Memories of a Murderer" to sci-fi motion pictures such as "Okja," "Snowpiercer," and "The Host." Based on his remarkable resume alone, tapping the visionary to bring the perplexing plot of "Mickey 17" to the big screen makes a lot of sense, especially considering what the source material's author thinks of the person adapting his work.

When Edward Ashton, the person responsible for writing the book based on "Mickey 17," was asked about Bong Joon Ho, he admitted being shocked at how well-versed the director was with the story of "Mickey7." "He knew my book better than I did in a number of ways," Ashton said during an interview with KBS WORLD Radio. "I was just so thoroughly impressed with how well he knew the material and how much he had thought about it. And at that point If I had any doubts about whether he's the perfect person to do this, they were elated." Ashton clearly feels Bong Joon Ho is anything but expendable and thinks that "Mickey 17" is in the right hands.

There is no official trailer for "Mickey 17" yet. The only thing that Warner Bros. Pictures has released is a 30-second teaser they released on YouTube on December 5, 2022. The quick preview starts by ensuring viewers know this is the new film from Bong Joon Ho and not another subpar sci-fi throwaway. In the video, Robert Pattinson is seen in the background, lying in some sort of elaborate chamber hooked up to a white futuristic machine. The camera moves in closer before it begins to rotate slowly, revealing the title over violin music. When Pattinson is upside down, the title disappears, and his eyes open before it cuts away to unveil the release date.

After it was released, viewers couldn't contain their excitement in the comments. Certain fans of the book had some understandable concerns, like @erikaorellana1989, who posted, "Interested to see how they went from Mickey 7 to Mickey 17." But others were excited regardless of the name change, like @PeterMCRA, who commented, "Loved the book (Mickey7), excited to see what Bong Joon-Ho does with it." Some even made bold predictions, like one user who wrote, "Looks like it could be even better than Snowpiercer!"

Even though the teaser gives away almost nothing, there is no denying that people are excited about "Mickey 17," and many eager individuals think it could end up being another great Bong Joon Ho movie.