The anticipation for “Mickey 17” skyrocketed after Warner Brothers released its first trailer on September 17, 2023, sparking excitement among fans of sci-fi and Bong Joon Ho.
The trailer, shared on their official Instagram account, teases a mind-bending story about death, resurrection, and existential crises.
Robert Pattinson stars as the central character, Mickey Barnes, in a surreal world where he is caught in a continuous cycle of death and rebirth. The trailer’s opening line, “It was nice knowing ya. Have a nice death. See ya tomorrow,” encapsulates the eerie tone of the film, hinting at Mickey’s tortured existence as an Expendable—a person cloned repeatedly to carry out dangerous tasks on a remote planet.
Directed by Bong Joon Ho, the Oscar-winning filmmaker of “Parasite,” “Mickey 17” is an adaptation of Edward Ashton’s 2022 novel, “Mickey7”. The film features an all-star cast that includes Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo.
Originally slated for release on March 29, 2024, the film’s release date has been moved up to January 31, 2024, much to fans’ delight. Pattinson has expressed his excitement about working with Bong, calling the filmmaker his “hero” during an appearance at CinemaCon in April. He also revealed that the challenging role of Mickey attracted him to the project.
Pattinson described his character as someone weighed down by low expectations in life but continuously confronted with increasingly difficult challenges. The emergence of Mickey 18, a new clone with frontal lobe damage and no self-control, adds another layer of complexity to the story, promising a unique exploration of identity and survival in this futuristic thriller.