MICKEY 17 is one of my most anticipated films of 2024. But with a release date of March 29th, a trailer has yet to drop. The feature is director Bong Joon-ho’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning film PARASITE. And with a stellar cast featuring Robert Pattinson, (red hot) Steven Yeun, Toni Colette, Mark Ruffalo and Naomi Acki – everyone should be excited. But yet here we are, 97 days from release, a little over three months, and not even one trailer! On the other hand, big 2024 films set to release after MICKEY 17’s current projected date, like KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, THE FALL GUY, and INSIDE OUT 2 – have all received trailers (ok, ok – when THE FALL GUY’s trailer surfaced, it was set to release about a month before MICKEY 17 – but has since been postponed to early May, that being said, that trailer was released OVER a month ago, so MICKEY 17 is still overdue). In fact, Warner Bros (the studio releasing MICKEY 17) has already released a trailer for GODZILLA X KONG which will release in April and FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA, which will release in late May, BOTH after MICKEY 17.
And yet, Warner Bros., the studio releasing MICKEY 17, has three massive films in theaters over the course of the last two weeks in WONKA, AQUAMAN 2, and THE COLOR PURPLE. I’ve already seen the first two and I assume that if MICKEY 17 was attached to THE COLOR PURPLE, it would have been released online. And if it was being released with THE COLOR PURPLE, why not put it on AQUAMAN 2 – and hey, even WONKA as well (you know Chalamet fans love Bong Joon-ho)?!?
FIRST THING’S FIRST: YES WE GOT A TEASER OVER A YEAR AGO
Yes we got a teaser months ago – that really felt like an announcement – but it revealed little to nothing beyond the date of March 29, 2024. Released on December 5, 2022, it did feature some cool lighting, production design, music, and images, specifically a glimpse at Robert Pattinson’s potential hairstyle… Watch it below:
A few interesting things in this trailer. First, the aspect ratio. Will this film be sporting an Academy ratio – aka 1.33 to 1 or 4 to 3 – as many recent films including MAESTRO and THE WHALE have been presented in? Also, what is up with that music? Is that a new score by Director Bong’s frequent collaborator Jung Jae-il, who also scored Director Bong’s OKJA as well as Netflix’s blockbuster series SQUID GAME? Let’s hope so.
SO WHAT IS MICKEY 17 ABOUT?
MICKEY 17 is based on Edward Ashton’s book MICKEY7. From the publisher: “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. On a routine scouting mission, Mickey7 goes missing and is presumed dead. By the time he returns to the colony base, his 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 face being recycled into protein to feed a hungry colony. Meanwhile, life on Niflheim is getting worse, and the native species are growing curious about their new neighbors, which has Commander Marshall very afraid. Ultimately, the survival of both lifeforms will come down to Mickey7.” Interesting…. Also the book has been very successful and (believe it or not) has been stocked at most regional Target stores.
Now I don’t know to what extent that Diretor Bong’s film will follow this story but certain things about the story like Robert Pattinson playing cloned versions of himself, seem to point to more than a passing association with the novel’s plot. Still I don’t see a way Director Bong does not put his own spin on the plot, characters, and themes of the novel that make it something new and different.
WHY AM I SO EXCITED ABOUT MICKEY 17?
Two reasons: my mutual love of Bong Joon-ho and Robert Pattinson. Like Peanut Butter and chocolate, this has the potential to be an incredible combination. Director Bong is one of my top 5 favorite working directors – but not necessarily just for PARASITE (which he won multiple Oscars) but also for his more offbeat, world-building films like THE HOST, SNOWPIERCER, and OKJA. And MICKEY 17 has the potential to play to his visual strengths as well as his satirical side from PARASITE. Factor Robert Pattinson into the mix, my favorite actor working right now. In the past years he has given outstanding and varied performances in varied films like GOOD TIME, THE LIGHTHOUSE, THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME, TENET AND of course THE BATMAN while working with master filmmakers in a smaller films like Claire Denis in HIGH LIFE, James Gray in THE LOST CITY OF Z and David Michod in THE ROVER and THE KING. And the paring of a director like Bong Joon-ho with a talent like Robert Pattinson is just something I cannot wait to see. So yes, a trailer would be nice.
IS WB POSTPONING MICKEY 17?
I really hope not. Quarter 1 of 2023 is a real dearth for quality movies. Now that THE FALL GUY has left (I know – I did say “quality” but I’m a big fan of the 80s TV show, Ryan Gosling, and Chad Stehelski – so just go with it) to summer, there’s few films in the first three months of the year that really and truly spark an interest. DUNE 2 is definitely the exception (another WB film releasing a month before MICKEY 17 on March 2nd). And there are some interesting titles with potential like ARGYLLE and LISA FRANKENSTEIN (again, I know, “quality” but I’m a Diablo Cody fan – don’t judge). But nothing is really calling my name like MICKEY 17.
That being said, it is a bit distressing that GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE (which I think looks just horrible) has parked its release date on the same day as MICKEY 17. Now GHOSTBUSTERS FE could be horrible but also get a ton of screaming fanboys in seats and really diminish MICKEY 17’s chances at gaining an audience. And maybe this is why WB has yet to give us a trailer. Because that March 29th date might just move. But hopefully not too much. Maybe MICKEY 17 will open up a week later or a few weeks after. Thought that starts to put it dangerously close to WB’s two big summer releases, including WB’s own aforementioned GODZILLA X KONG and FURIOSA. So where else could MICKEY 17 move?
IS MICKEY 17 REALLY GOOD – LIKE SO GOOD IT MOVES TO FALL?
Hear me out, if MICKEY 17 was REALLY good, maybe it gets postponed till fall to help it garner Oscar and awards consideration. This would not be the craziest idea, considering the film’s pedigree. Add to that, currently WB’s only wide releases after JOKER 2 in October are the (dare I say stunty) ALTO KNIGHTS (a Barry Levinson film starring Robert De Niro in dual roles of Vito Genovese and Frank Costello – which could be awkward if Rob Pattinson is also playing dual roles in MICKEY 17) and the animated LORD OF THE RINGS: WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM. Remember WB just released three films over the past two weeks, so it can be reasoned that they might need to shift some content towards the end of the year. And if MICKEY 17 is good, I can see that happening.
WILL MICKEY 17 BE A “PLATFORM” RELEASE OR BE RELEASED BY A24 INSTEAD OF WB PROPER?
Maybe MICKEY 17 will begin playing on just a few screens in LA and NYC and open wider in the ensuing weeks in April and May (like many “prestige” films still open – even though that would be a bit of an aberration for a major studio), so WB would want to hold off on the trailer until January or February since the majority of folks would not be seeing the film for about a month after its initial March 29th release date. I mean – maybe this could happen. But considering the parties involved and that this is from a major studio and not WB’s A24 or Fox Searchlight, I kind of doubt it.
But here’s something, and just spitballing here, now that WB is working in partnership with A24 – maybe A24 helps with the release. They know how to market films from directors like Bong Joon-ho as well as films starring Robert Pattinson, especially ones that maybe need to build an audience or word-of-mouth before launching in thousands of theaters? I could see this happening. Sure, it would be unprecedented, but with this film and the players involved, I could still see it happening. And maybe A24 wants to move it to fall as well? Stay tuned.
IS MICKEY 17 (I CAN’T EVEN SAY IT) BAD?
Who knows. And anyway, if WB thinks that MICKEY 17 is bad, then in all probability it will be one of my favorite films of the year. Not that I am a WB hater (I loved BARBIE) but I could see something like a drastic mischaracterization from WB happening. Still I doubt that WB shelves a film with that stellar cast and from a director as beloved as Bong Joon-ho.
SO WHEN WILL THE MICKEY 17 TRAILER APPEAR?
WB does not have a film releasing until March 2nd with DUNE 2. So I highly doubt they will wait that long to release the MICKEY 17 trailer. This fact, however, adds to my puzzlement. That WB did not release the trailer yet but does not have another release until March 2nd is a potentially troubling sign for MICKEY 17. Maybe WB will release the trailer with ARGYLLE or MADAME WEB but I just don’t feel like it will get the push and the profile that it needs to – as it won’t be attached to every print since neither is a WB release – and could just get lost in the shuffle. But I’ll remain positive – at least for a while. I will say, if we do not get a trailer by ARGYLLE at the beginning of February, sound the alarms – we just might have to wait a little bit longer for MICKEY 17.
No Scoops Club 