Nearly two years after sweeping the 2020 Oscars with Parasite, Korean director Bong Joon Ho is now in talks to embark on a new filmmaking journey. According to Deadline, Joon Ho’s next project will be for Warner Bros. and work as an adaptation of Edward Ashton’s upcoming novel, Mickey7.
The book reads as a sci-fi thriller in which protagonist Mickey7 is an ‘expendable’ – a disposable employee sent on an expedition to colonize the frozen world of Niflheim – likely inspired by the Nordic realm of the same name, which also features in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The story, described as The Martian meets Dark Matter, also follows interesting themes of rebirth – after each death, Mickey’s body is resynthesized with most of his memories intact. It’s implied that Mickey7 is indeed the ‘seventh’ Mickey, as he explores the harsh world in front of him and discovers disturbing secrets behind his supposed ‘immortality’.
Robert Pattinson’s Involvement
After winning ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Picture’ in 2020, it seems that Joon Ho has spent most of the pandemic laying low and enjoying his success. He was presented with Ashton’s unpublished manuscript of Mickey7 sometime in late 2021, and soon began to speak with A-list actors alongside Warner Bros. executives.
According to the report, Vice President of Film Development & Production at Warner Bros. Pictures Peter Dodd, will oversee the project – Bong will also produce the untitled film for his production company Offscreen alongside Dooho Choi for Kate Street Picture Company and Plan B.
Both Joon Ho and Pattinson are represented by William Morris Endeavor (WME), one of Hollywood’s most prolific and exclusive talent management companies – making their interaction fairly easy to set up. As one of the world’s premier 30-something actors, it’s inevitable that the executives would eventually get the director and actor in the same room.
Soon enough, Pattinson met up with the team, and from all indications, their interactions were extremely positive. While the 35-year old actor hasn’t yet confirmed a signing, he has received a lucrative offer from the producers – his first major project following The Batman, which is set to release on March 4, 2022.
Fans naturally lost their minds over the news. If there’s a film that could land Pattinson an Oscar, this would probably be it:
The Warner Bros feature marks Bong’s second deal with WarnerMedia in recent months following an HBO limited series based on Parasite in the works with Bong executive producing alongside Adam McKay.
Mickey7 is due for a February 15th publishing date, released by St. Martin of Macmillan Publishers.
(Image Sources: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, USMagazine)
