*Courtesy of George Pimentel//Getty Images.*

With the 10-month delay for the release of Bong Joon-ho’s first movie since ‘Parasite’ (2019), the director wants fans to know that his upcoming title ‘Mickey 17’ was only delayed due to the editing process, in order to confidently land on his definitive cut of the film.

Bong says he’s always had full control over editing in his contract, despite insiders suggesting the studio wasn’t happy with Bong’s version of the film.

The director told Empire that he had final decision for the film’s cut built into his Warner Bros. contract. “The studio respected my final cut rights,” Bong said. “Of course, during the editing process there are many opinions and many discussions that happen. But this film is my cut, and I’m very happy about it. It was a long process, but it was always smooth and respectful.”

‘Mickey 17’ was first announced in 2022, with the feature being set for a March 29, 2024 release. It was then pushed to January 31, 2025.

Robert Pattinson, who leads the film, said Bong always intended to have his version of the film in theaters: “It’s really cool that a studio has done this film, and that Bong pushed to have the final cut on it — to make something that does feel incredibly unusual.”

The feature focuses on Mickey Barnes (Pattinson) — an “expendable” man who is cloned over and over again when he dies, in order to colonize a planet far from home.

Bong continued to Empire: “In most sci-fi films and fantasy stories, eternal life is treated as something sublime, spiritual, profound. I was really captivated by the idea that human printing is not respectful at all. You’re literally reproducing humans like an inkjet printer… Ultimately, the story is about how pathetic humans can be. It’s almost like you can smell every human character in the film — their piss stains and their smelly socks.”

As mentioned previously, ‘Mickey 17’ is Bong’s first film since historic 4-time Academy Award winning feature ‘Parasite’ (2019), in which the filmmaker won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film.

‘Mickey 17’ is scheduled to be theatrically released by Warner Bros. Pictures in South Korea on January 28, 2025, and in the United States three days later on January 31, 2025.

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