Tag: Bong Joon Ho

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‘Mickey 17’: Bong Joon-Ho‘s New Sci-Fi Pic Starring Robert Pattinson Is Getting Delayed

We’ve all been rabid for more footage from Bong Joon-ho‘s follow-up to the Oscar-winning thriller “Parasite,” after the South Korean filmmaker swept the awards season with his prescient class struggle satire and sadly there are some unseen delays on the horizon. The Hollywood Reporter has echoed the announcement from Warner Bros. that “Mickey 17,” a sci-fi pic about using clone labor on an off-world colony starring Robert Pattinson, won’t be hitting its original intended release date of March 29, 2024. We don’t have a new date for the pic but there is an expectation that the studio won’t take long to find a spot for the high-profile project based on the novel by Edward Ashton.

“Parasite” would ultimately win four Oscar statues in 2020 for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film. Making “Mickey 17” one of the more hotly anticipated films in 2024 for not only genre fans but film nerds and award-season speculators as well.

UPDATE: It’s been announced by Warner Bros. that “Mickey 17” has been bumped to a release date of January 31, 2025. We had originally assumed the sci-fi could be pushed toward later in the year but it seems like an overcrowded slate in 2024 could be the problem.

Here is the original novel’s logline from Amazon:

Dying isn’t any fun…but at least it’s a living. Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous―even suicidal―the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal…and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it. On a fairly routine scouting mission, Mickey7 goes missing and is presumed dead. By the time he returns to the colony base, surprisingly helped back by native life, Mickey7’s fate has been sealed. There’s a new clone, Mickey8, reporting for Expendable duties. The idea of duplicate Expendables is universally loathed, and if caught, they will likely be thrown into the recycler for protein. Mickey7 must keep his double a secret from the rest of the colony. Meanwhile, life on Niflheim is getting worse. The atmosphere is unsuitable for humans, food is in short supply, and terraforming is going poorly. The native species are growing curious about their new neighbors, and that curiosity has Commander Marshall very afraid. Ultimately, the survival of both lifeforms will come down to Mickey7. That is, if he can just keep from dying for good.

They’ve also announced that Adam Wingard‘s “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” has moved up to March 29 (The old date for “Mickey 17”), from April 12. Fans are widely excited for the next installment of the Monsterverse franchise after the recent Apple TV+ series “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” has made quite the impression on viewers and the previous success of “Godzilla vs Kong.”

The epic battle continues! Legendary Pictures’ cinematic Monsterverse follows up the explosive showdown of “Godzilla vs. Kong” with an all-new adventure that pits the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence—and our own. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” delves further into the histories of these Titans and their origins, as well as the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News

‘Mickey7’: Bong Joo Ho’s Anticipated Off-World Colony Sci-Fi Flick Adds ‘The Favourite’ Production Designer Fiona Crombie

We’re all excited to see what director Bong Joon Ho‘s follow-up to his Best Picture winner Parasite. The sci-fi film at Warner Bros. titled Mickey7 is based on the novel by Edward Ashton with a call-sheet that consists of Robert Pattinson (The Batman), Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight), Toni Collette (Knives Out), and Naomi Ackie (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker).

The Ronin can confirm that the Korean filmmaker has added production designer Fiona Crombie to the crew and will help bring the off-world colonial to life along with the ice world of Niflheim. Fiona’s credits include Yorgos Lanthimos’ period dark comedy The Favourite, the Disney hit Cruella, and most recently worked with director Ari Aster on his upcoming A24 pic which stars Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix.

Here is the official synopsis for the novel:

Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous—even suicidal—the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal…and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it. On a fairly routine scouting mission, Mickey7 goes missing and is presumed dead. By the time he returns to the colony base, surprisingly helped back by native life, Mickey7’s fate has been sealed. There’s a new clone, Mickey8, reporting for Expendable duties. The idea of duplicate Expendables is universally loathed, and if caught, they will likely be thrown into the recycler for protein. Mickey7 must keep his double a secret from the rest of the colony. Meanwhile, life on Niflheim is getting worse. The atmosphere is unsuitable for humans, food is in short supply, and terraforming is going poorly. The native species are growing curious about their new neighbors, and that curiosity has Commander Marshall very afraid. Ultimately, the survival of both lifeforms will come down to Mickey7.

The new sci-fi flick is expected to film at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Watford, England. A location used for the studios’ big DC Comics and Potterverse films, speaking towards the scale of the project.

Posted on in News

Bong Joon Ho Returning To Sci-Fi With Off-World Colonization Pic Starring Robert Pattinson For Warner Bros.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Bong Joon Ho got a bunch of awards for his fantastic dark comedy Parasite, however, is reportedly returning to the sci-fi genre for a new project at Warner Bros. and will see him tackle an off-world setting.

Deadline has revealed that the new sci-fi movie will be adapted from the upcoming novel Mickey7 written by Edward Ashton.

It centers on a man on an expedition to colonize the ice world Niflheim.

The good news doesn’t stop there as British actor Robert Pattinson is attached for a lead role. Pattinson will play Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeves’ new film The Batman which will hit theaters in March, expected to launch a new trilogy for Warner Bros. with Reeves shepherding it.

It’s unclear at this time if the untitled film will have a mostly western cast or will include South Korean actors that have worked with the director in the past. We can assume it’ll be a mix of the two.

Bong Joon Ho’s previous films such as Snowpiercer, Okja, and The Host have explored the sci-fi genre.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

Director Bong Joon Ho Says His Animated Film Won’t Release Until 2025-2026; Inspired By ‘The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures Of The Abyss’

South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho (The Host, Memories of Murder, Snowpiercer) was on the rise long before his Best Picture and Best Director Oscars for the fantastic thriller, Parasite. After the film’s release, he’s gathered quiet a large following in the west among mainstream audiences and we’re all excited to see what he gives us next.

Bong Joon Ho is currently at the Cannes Film Festival (Parasite won the Palme d’Or previously in 2019) this week and dished about a couple of upcoming projects he’s been working on via Indie Wire, including his untitled animated film. It was revealed back in May, that the director would be making an animated film inspired by the 2007 French scientific book The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of The Abyss from Claire Nouvian. However, it won’t be his next project as he’s now announced that it likely won’t be ready for a release until 2025 or 2026.

“…Inspired by a French scientific book that my wife bought and brought home. The pictures of the sea creatures were extraordinary. After that my imagination took over,” the director said of his untitled animated film. He continued to give a potential timeline for the release date, “The underwater colors are absolutely splendid. The starting point was the book. The story and animation flows from it. Animation is something I really wanted to try. I think the project will be done after my next film. I have the team for special effects. It may come out in 2025 or 2026.”

Check out a flip-through of the book below which is visually stunning.

Bong Joon Ho is also working alongside Adam McKay for a HBO series that takes place within the same world of Parasite, except will be set in the United States, the filmmaker reiterating earlier in the year that the project isn’t a remake but an original story.

PARASITE – Ki-taek’s family of four is close, but fully unemployed, with a bleak future ahead of them. The son Ki-woo is recommended by his friend, a student at a prestigious university, for a well-paid tutoring job, spawning hopes of a regular income. Carrying the expectations of all his family, Ki-woo heads to the Park family home for an interview. Arriving at the house of Mr. Park, the owner of a global IT firm, Ki-woo meets Yeon-kyo, the beautiful young lady of the house. But following this first meeting between the two families, an unstoppable string of mishaps lies in wait.

SOURCE: INDIE WIRE

Posted on in Film News

Oscar-Winning Director Bong Joon Ho Aiming To Make An Animated Film About Sea Creatures

Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho made waves with his Oscar-winning thriller Parasite, earning four awards including ones for Best Pictures and Best Director.

Screen Daily (spotted via The Playlist) has revealed that the director is looking at making an animated feature film after developing it since 2018 and has completed a script in January. The CGI animation project will explore the drama between humans and sea creatures. However, this won’t be the next film but will happen after that next film.

Animation studio 4th Creature Party will be heading up the project . The company has previously worked with Bong Joon Ho on his previous films The Host, Snowpiercer, and the Netflix film Okja.

The full CGI animation will deal with the drama that arises between deep sea creatures and human beings. 4th Creative Party will produce. Primarily based in Seoul with branches in Busan and Beijing, the company has worked on VFX for films such as Bong’s The Host, Snowpiercer and Okja, as well as Park Chan-wook’s Old Boy, Stoker and The Handmaiden.

It’s interesting that Pixar is about to release their own sea creature movie next month with the Italian-set Luca, however, the two projects are likely going to be very different from each other in the end.

SOURCE: SCREEN DAILY