Bong Joon Ho Reveals a Multiplicity of Robert Pattinsons in First “Mickey 17” Trailer

Oscar-winner Bong Joon Ho made his first trip to CinemaCon in Las Vegas to present the official trailer for Mickey 17, his first movie since his masterful Parasite devoured all the Oscars.

Bong’s new film deploys Robert Pattinson—again and again and again—in an irreverent sci-fi story that deals with human cloning, space colonization, and the nature of identity.

“It’s a story of a simple man who ultimately ends up saving the world,” Bong said at CinemaCon, a succinct summation of his latest film.

The film is based on Edward Ashton’s 2022 novel “Mickey7,” centered on the titular protagonist who works as a “disposable employee” on a dangerous mission. In Ashton’s novel, Mickey7 works on a human expedition setting out to colonize the frozen planet of Niflheim, a very dangerous job in which a constant procession of Mickeys are printed and rolled out to do work after they die over and over again. The genius of the “disposable employee” design is that while they can regenerate an entirely new body, most of their memories will remain intact. That is, until after six deaths when a replacement clone takes over. The key inflection point in Ashton’s book is when Mickey7 refuses to let Mickey8 take over his job. In Bong’s movie, Pattinson plays both Mickey 17 and 18, and has given each of them their own characteristics.

“The number is the number of times he dies. I killed him ten times more,” Bong said to laughs from the crowd. “It’s a sci-fi movie, but it’s a human story.”

The trailer hasn’t been released to the public yet, but it’s said to be set to a Frank Sinatra song, which somewhat offsets the unpleasant doings happening on screen, including the various ways Mickey is maimed and killed.

Warner Bros will be releasing Mickey 17 in South Korea on January 28, 2025, timed to the Lunar New Year Holiday. This is three days earlier than its global release on January 31. It’s a fitting choice for its world premiere location, considering Bong is one of South Korea’s most beloved filmmakers.

“Director Bong’s creativity, vision, and imagination always exceed expectations. Mickey 17 will surprise audiences with its original story and characters, unpredictable plot development and humor, as well as great production qualities,” Warners president of international distribution Andrew Cripps said in a statement.

Delayed due to the dual strikes, we’ve already gotten a brief, tantalizing sneak peek—way back in December of 2022. Mickey 17 returns Bong to the sci-fi genre in which he’s made some of his most ambitious films, from 2006’s The Host to 2013’s Snowpiercer and his 2017 Netflix film Okja. 

Pattison is joined by Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo.

Featured image: Robert Pattinson stars in Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17.” Courtesy Warner Bros.