By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) — Director Bong Joon-ho, known for his Oscar-winning film “Parasite,” described his Hollywood debut, “Mickey 17,” as a new type of sci-fi film that “feels deeply human” during a press conference in Seoul on Monday.
The film, based on American writer Edward Ashton’s novel “Mickey7,” tells the story of a cloned human tasked with colonizing an ice-covered planet. The movie’s protagonist, Mickey 17, is an expendable worker assigned to dangerous tasks. When he dies, he is reprinted, but the narrative takes an unexpected turn when Mickey 18 is printed, believing Mickey 17 to be dead.
“It’s what we commonly call a sci-fi movie, but at the same time, it’s a film brimming with human emotions,” Bong said. “It’s also the story of Mickey, an ordinary, powerless and pitiful young man.”
Director Bong Joon-ho speaks during a press conference at a Seoul theater on Jan. 20, 2025, about his Hollywood debut, “Mickey 17.” (Yonhap)
Bong’s adaptation introduces changes to the source material, including increasing the number of Mickey’s deaths from seven to 17 and altering the protagonist’s profession.
While Mickey is a history teacher in the novel, Bong reimagined him as a failed small business owner who ran a macaron shop.
“The original novel is hard sci-fi with a heavy focus on technological explanations,” Bong said.
“Since I’m not particularly interested in science, I replaced those elements with deeply human stories. I wanted to make Mickey closer to the working class — a lonelier and more pitiable character.”
Director Bong Joon-ho (R) and actor Robert Pattinson pose for a photo during a press conferecence at a Seoul theater on Jan. 20, 2025, for “Mickey 17.” (Yonhap)
Bong explained that the protagonist’s repeated deaths reflect the ultimate extreme job.
“The protagonist’s job involves repeatedly dying — it’s the ultimate extreme job,” he said. “But it’s quite different from the concept of a clone. Humans are printed like documents from a printer. The original concept of the novel is also centered on ‘human printing,’ which is inherently inhumane.”
He said the narrative naturally incorporates class issues as the protagonist belongs to an extreme working-class situation.
“However, it doesn’t deal with class struggle in a grandiose or overtly political way,” he added.
Unlike the original novel, Bong set the film’s world in the near future, the 2050s, to make it feel more real.
“Just a decade ago, none of us imagined holding phones and talking to AI like ChatGPT,” Bong said. “While some elements of the film may seem like science fiction, they’re events we will inevitably experience.”
Actor Robert Pattinson poses for a photo during a press conferecence at a Seoul theater on Jan. 20, 2025, for “Mickey 17.” (Yonhap)
The film stars Robert Pattinson as Mickey 17 and marks Bong’s first project in five years since “Parasite.” The film also features Mark Ruffalo as Kenneth Marshall, the commander of the ice-planet colonization team.
“You’ll see a unique type of dictator unlike any you’ve encountered before,” Bong said of Ruffalo’s villain character.
Like his previous works, Bong noted that Mickey 17 incorporates political satire.
“Movies like ‘The Host,’ ‘Snowpiercer,’ ‘Okja’ and now ‘Mickey 17’ all include political satire,” he said. “That’s one of the charms of sci-fi films — allowing for bold, serious or humorous commentary on human society and politics. Mickey 17 is no exception.”
“Mickey 17” is set for release Feb. 28.
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