After precisely four date changes totaling nearly a year of delays,Bong Joon-ho’s sci-fi comedyMickey 17is nearly here. StarringRobert Pattinsonas the many bodies of Mickey Barnes, the director’s long-awaitedParasitefollow-up has gone on a journey whilehammering out the final cutand working around its lead’s schedule, initially setting a release for August 27, 2025, before finally landing on June 01, 2025. There are now less than two months left before it hits the big screen, but if you may’t wait any longer, Max will have viewers covered next month. Starting on February 1, Bong Joon-ho’s 2006 monster movieThe Hostwill emerge from the waters onto the streaming service.
The Hostwas the three-time Oscar winner’s answer to beasts like Godzilla, albeit with a blend ofdark humor and horror that is uniquely his. It’s basedvery loosely on a true story, following the aftermath of a catastrophic dump of chemicals by the U.S. military into the Han River. The full effects of their carelessness wouldn’t be felt until years later when the polluted waters birth an unsightly creature that wreaks havoc on humanity. When a young girl is taken by the monster, her father and their family race to save her before she’s killed, and before the Americans can enact their plan to cover up the whole scandal. As they search for her, sheuses what little she has to try to survivewhile helping a homeless boy evade the creature.
All the hallmarks of Bong’s filmmaking are present inThe Host, froma layeredSong Kang-hoperformance to commentary on class, terrifying sci-fi spectacle, and sky-high emotional stakes for a family that’s woefully outmatched by an unspeakable horror. As the director has only become more internationally successful through titles likeSnowpiercerand the aforementionedParasite, the film has similarly gained more appreciation asa standout monster movie, boasting a Certified Fresh 93% critic score onRotten Tomatoeswithhigh praise for its cast. Even at the time, it ranked as South Korea’s highest-grossing film ever at the box office with a haul of around $89-93 million globally.Byun Hee-bong,Park Hae-il, andBae Doonaall starred as members of Park Gang-du’s (Song) family, withGo Ah-sungplaying his daughter.
What to Expect From Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Mickey 17’?
Bong will be returning to his sci-fi roots withMickey 17,and he’ll once more be adapting a novel -Edward Ashton’sMickey7. The film will mix dystopian with satire as it follows Pattinson’s Mickey, who signs up to be a dispensable employee whose jobis to die, die, and die againin the name of humanity. Aboard an expedition to colonize the unforgiving ice world of Niflheim, he’s worked to the bone and thrown into one dangerous situation after another before being re-printed with most of his memories intact when his previous body inevitably croaks. However, things get complicated when one multiple, Mickey 17, miraculously survives his latest assignment andcomes face to face with Mickey 18.
Warner Bros. is betting big on the star-studded cast and Bong’s reputation to carry Mickey and his multiples to box-office success. In a first for the director’s career,the film is getting an IMAX releaseto make the most of its massive budget of as much as $150 million. Pattinson will be joined on-screen byNaomi Ackie,Steven Yeun,Toni Collette, andMark Ruffaloamong others.
The Hostwill stream on Max beginning February 1 beforeMickey 17opens in theaters on March 7. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on Bong’s work and the latest streaming updates throughout the year.
