Bong Joon-Ho, the acclaimed director behind the blockbuster hit “Parasite” in South Korea, made a striking appearance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, leaving the audience astonished. During the event, he unveiled the first trailer for his upcoming film “Mickey 17,” featuring Robert Pattinson in a role where the character experiences multiple deaths.
This unveiling marked the first substantial update on the project since December 2022, when a teaser for “Mickey 17” was released. Despite the buzz generated at CinemaCon, the trailer was not released elsewhere. Originally slated for release on March 29, 2024, the premiere of “Mickey 17” has been rescheduled for 2025.
Bong Joon-Ho, known for his Academy Award-winning work, described “Mickey 17” as a narrative revolving around a seemingly ordinary man who eventually becomes the savior of the world—an unconventional take on the hero’s journey.
Interestingly, the film is based on the 2022 sci-fi novel “Mickey 7” by Edward Ashton. However, Bong Joon-Ho opted to change the numerical designation from 7 to 17 for the movie adaptation, symbolizing the increased number of times the protagonist faces death. Consequently, it is anticipated that Robert Pattinson’s character will meet his demise 17 times throughout the story.
Variety reported that ahead of the premiere of the “Mickey 17” trailer, Bong expressed his satisfaction at presenting the footage on a large screen rather than through mobile devices.
Reportedly, the trailer begins with Pattinson’s character applying for a job assignment to colonize an ice planet, a task met with disbelief from the company members due to its perilous nature. Mickey learns from the company secretary that they possess the ability to print a new version of him if he dies.
In a moment captured in the trailer, Pattinson’s character muses to himself, “Our entire life is a god-damn punishment.” The audience is then surprised when a duplicate Mickey appears on screen without the original’s demise. Pattinson confronts his doppelgänger, declaring, “I don’t like you, but I’m you. I’m going to kill you.”
Robert Pattinson rose to prominence for his role as Edward Cullen in “The Twilight Saga” and portrayed Bruce Wayne/Batman in the 2022 film “The Batman.”