Bong Joon-ho reveals why he chose to make a comedy like Mickey 17 after Parasite

Mickey 17 marks the return of Oscar-winning South Korean director Bong Joon-ho to the director's chair. He directed the 2019 film Parasite, which received international acclaim and won an Oscar. It became the first non-English film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Despite the success, Joon-ho opted to make a film in the science fiction comedy genre. Mickey 17 stars Robert Pattinson in the lead role, and it had its world premiere at the 75th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival. Based on Edward Ashton's 2022 book Mickey 7, the film was first released in South Korea on February 28, 2025, followed by an upcoming release in the US on March 7.

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Bong Joon-ho reveals why he made Mickey 17 after Parasite

Mickey 17 is written and directed by Bong Joon-ho. Five years after his drama thriller, South Korean film Parasite was released, Joon-ho came up with a comedy sci-fi film. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Joon-ho was asked if he is drawn to directing a franchise film in the future. This is the usual route for many filmmakers who achieve this level of success. In response, he said,

“I’m not drawn to franchise films, but I did think at one point that I would like to do an ‘Alien’ film. An ‘Alien’ musical.”

Joon-ho is tackling the science fiction genre when lesser films are being made in that realm. He said that it is the story of the current times.

“For me, that is the point of making a sci-fi film. It seems to be a story about the future, about another planet, but it’s actually a portrait of us now and the reality around us, not of somewhere far out in space.”

Based on a book, Mickey 17 revolves around Mickey Barnes (played by Pattinson), who is sent to colonize an ice-covered Niflheim. In the same interview, the English actor stated that he admired Bong-hoo's work but thought of him as an untouchable director. But he jumped right when he found out about it.

“Nothing like this was being made — especially at studios. So I thought, ‘OK, this is a big deal.’”

Pattinson was curious to find out about the level of humor in the film. He recalled asking Joon-ho,

“You’re like, OK, how do you want this to be played? Do you want this to be ‘Dumb and Dumber,’ or do you want it to be ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’?”

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