Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 Premieres at Berlin Film Festival

SEOUL, South Korea — Director Bong Joon Ho‘s highly anticipated film, Mickey 17, is set to premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, marking his first project since the Oscar-winning Parasite. The film’s lead star, Robert Pattinson, joined Bong at a press conference in Seoul, where they discussed the film’s production, delays, and the challenges of outsmarting artificial intelligence (AI) in screenwriting.

Bong addressed the film’s delayed release, attributing it to last year’s industry strikes. He also shared his thoughts on the rise of AI, stating, “I ask myself every night, how can I write a screenplay that AI could not? I want to make a ‘move 78’ in every other page of my screenplays. How can we outsmart AI? I want to become a writer who writes one screenplay a year that AI could never replicate.”

The director praised Pattinson’s versatility, noting his ability to transition between blockbuster roles and independent films. “Robert is, of course, known for playing superheroes like Batman, but [I had also seen him in] the Safdie brothers’ Good Time and [Robert Eggers’] The Lighthouse. He has demonstrated remarkable talent in such great independent American films, so I had always been interested in him,” Bong said. He added that Pattinson was the ideal choice for the dual roles of Mickey 17 and Mickey 18, describing the character as both pitiful and charismatic.

Mickey 17, based on Edward Ashton‘s novel of the same name, follows the story of Mickey7, a man on a mission to colonize the icy world of Niflheim. The film features an ensemble cast, including Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, and Toni Collette. Ashton’s novel, published earlier this year, has been praised for its unique blend of science fiction and dark humor.

The Berlin Film Festival premiere marks a significant milestone for Bong, who has become a global icon in cinema following the success of Parasite. Fans and critics alike are eager to see how his latest project will push the boundaries of storytelling and filmmaking.