Robert Pattinson Sci-Fi Thriller Taken Off Schedule, Is It Canceled?
The first Mickey may have just entered the public domain, but Mickey 17 doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere. The Warner Bros.-produced sci-fi thriller starring Robert Pattinson seems to have disappeared from the studio’s official schedule of upcoming releases. Is the movie another victim of David Zaslav’s axe?
Mickey 17 Is No More?
The film, which originally had a March 29, 2024 release date, has now been delayed indefinitely. Reports claim that the film needed more work following the Hollywood strikes last year, although what kind of work is unknown.
Mickey 17 tells the tale of a disposable worker, played by Robert Pattinson, sent to colonize an ice planet. When his clone arrives to take his place, Pattinson’s corporate drone has other ideas.
The movie was written and directed by Parasite director Bong Joon Ho and adapted from the novel Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton.
Bong Joon Ho Directing
The film is Bong Joon Ho’s first movie since the Oscar-winning Parasite in 2019. A teaser trailer for Mickey 17 was released at the tail end of 2022, showing Robert Pattinson waking in what looks like some kind of cryo-stasis tube.
Given the nature of the synopsis for the film, we can probably assume the Pattinson in the trailer is a clone of some kind.
Warner Bros Shenanigans?
It’s somewhat surprising that Warner Bros. would simply take the movie off its schedule without any explanation.
Mickey 17 isn’t Scoob 2 or Batgirl but an adult thriller with an Oscar-bait cast that includes Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette, and Steven Yeaun. Add to that all of the clout attached to Bong Joon Ho’s name following Parasite, and it would seem crazy for the studio to just abandon the project.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Take Spot
That March 29 release date won’t be going to waste, however. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has been given Mickey 17‘s original release date, two weeks ahead of its own original release date of April 12.
Whether or not Warner Bros. bumped Mickey 17 specifically so that Godzilla x Kong could debut sooner or Godzilla was moved up to fill the sudden vacancy left by Mickey‘s delay is unknown at this time.
Moving Just To Help?
It’s entirely possible that Warner Bros. shoved Mickey 17 out of the way so that it could get Godzilla x Kong out before the hype surrounding Godzilla Minus One disappeared completely.
Between Minus One and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the surprise hit Amazon show set in the same universe as GxK , Godzilla is a hot property at the moment. The studio using the current public interest in the big G to bolster its newest Monsterverse entry isn’t a bad idea.
A Robert Pattinson Tax Break?
Then again, it could always just be that David Zaslav decided he needed another tax break. After all, Mickey 17 appears to be a cerebral, high-concept thriller in the vein of The Martian or Interstellar—great for awards but box office?
Not so much. Zaslav could easily have decided the heady film was worth more to the studio as a write-off than a theatrical release.
Of course, all of the commotion surrounding the Coyote Vs. Acme debacle may have cooled the CEO’s jets when it comes to shelving high-profile projects that are near completion.
Perhaps, Bong Joon Ho himself requested that he be given more time to rework the film in some way. Until Warner Bros. or someone else comes out with an official statement on the matter the fate of Mickey 17 is a mystery.
