Robert Pattinson’s last space sci-fi film saw the actor playing a prisoner made to serve his sentence on a shuttle hurtling toward a black hole (among other human-rights offenses, including really messed-up sexual harassment). His next space drama? Mickey 17, a Bong Joon Ho joint based on the novel Mickey7, by Edward Ashton, which tells the story of an employee on an expedition to colonize an ice world — but he’s only doing it for the check. He is cloned so he can continue the dangerous mission, and the number 7 is a reference to how many times he dies. Bong — who wrote, directed, and produced the film — explained the title change via an interpreter at CinemaCon. “I killed him ten more times!†the Oscar-winning Parasite director said, per Variety. The release date has been pushed back yet again, but at least we’ve gotten a glimpse at Pattinson’s death cycle in the new trailer, which also introduces a few other cast members.
What happens in the trailer?
Mickey explains that he wanted to get off Earth, but didn’t fully read the paperwork to understand that he was agreeing to literally become “Expendable,â€Â with his body be reprinted after every fatal mission (this appears to be possible partly because of what looks like a cryogenic freezer in an apparently tricked-out MRI machine in a long, sparse room — the same one we saw in the first look last year). “Even on my 17th go-rround, I hate dying,†Mickey says. But somehow, an extra copy ends up staying alive. “Why aren’t you dead?†RPattz screams at RPattz. If Bong’s previous films are anything to go by, Mickey 17 is likely shaping up to be another social thriller.
Why Pattinson?
Bong said that Pattinson was perfect for the part because “he’s got this crazy thing in his eyes,†adding that he believed the actor had the creativity to play all the different variations of the character. Meanwhile, Pattinson — who called Bong his “hero†— said he was told the part was “impossible†when he first got the script, which excited him.
Who else is in the cast?
Mickey 17 also stars Steven Yeun (Minari), Naomi Ackie (I Wanna Dance With Somebody), Toni Collette (Hereditary), and Mark Ruffalo (the Hulk).
When’s it coming out (and why did it take so long?)
A press tour has been a long time coming for this Warner Bros. film, which was originally set to hit theaters on March 29, 2024 but was later delayed indefinitely. According to Variety, the movie needed more time to finish after the Hollywood strikes and other production shifts. It was set to bow January 31, 2025, but has now been pushed back yet again to Easter weekend 2025. We can only hope it’ll thaw on schedule April 18, 2025.
This post has been updated.