In his first film since his historic 2019 film Parasite, Korea's breakout filmmaker Bong Joon-ho will be adapting the science fiction novel Mickey7 into a star-studded and multi-star-backed motion picture. The groundbreaking director, known for his slick and immersive visuals and provocative, culturally game-changing narrative content, has chosen this novel for his next masterpiece for understandable, very on-brand reasons. What can we expect from such an alluring director coupling his talents with creepy, poignant, highly modern science fiction material?

Producing alongside companies Kate Street Picture Company’s Dooho Choi and Brad Pitt's production company, Plan B’s Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, the film will star Robert Pattinson as the titular Mickey, The Staircase's Toni Collette, Marvel's Mark Ruffalo, and British actress Naomi Ackie.

Mickey7 is currently in preproduction and set to shoot in August of this year. Here's everything we can infer about the movie from the information available!

Mickey7: Clones & The Transportation Paradox

Mickey7 Author Edward Ashton
St. Martin's Press

The movie's source material, the novel Mickey7, is written by author Edward Ashton, a prolific science fiction writer, cancer researcher, quantum physics professor, and all-around heroically quirky guy. He boasts various short science fiction stories in a variety of publications and full-length novels.

No stranger to the irony or humor inherent in especially the most difficult and outlandish of situations, the novel Mickey7 follows an astronaut colonizing a distant planet whose job is to take the most dangerous suicide missions necessary to the colony's survival.

Related: These are the Best English-Language Adaptations from International Directors

In an interview with SciFiNow, Ashton has described an intellectual fascination with the transportation paradox, the foundation for his novel Mickey7, which delineates the problematic essence of "beam me up, Scotty." The transportation paradox explains that when a person steps into a Star Trek-style transport beam, they are not actually being moved anywhere; their atoms are being dissembled and recopied in the desired location. Essentially, the traveler is being cloned and destroyed while their fresh new copy gets to go on living their life. No transferral, at least not of the person who stepped into the transport, has taken place. According to the paradox, the science behind "beaming" is far more insidious.

It's an absolutely fascinating concept that gave birth to Mickey7. The novel deals directly with clones, their legitimacy, and their acceptance and utility in society. The bio for the book reads as follows:

"Dying isn’t any fun…but at least it’s a living. Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous―even suicidal―the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal…and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it."

In the movie world, the synopsis sounds similar to the Sam Rockwell-starring 2009 film Moon, which also explores the morality and legitimacy of cloning and clones. However, there is nothing funny, ironic, or otherwise provocative about that film. Ultimately, what happens in Mickey7 is that Mickey goes missing on a mission and is replaced by the eighth iteration of himself. Due to the sociological politics of the colony, two iterations of one person are forbidden, so after Mickey number 7 surprisingly returns from his supposedly failed mission, he must keep his eighth copy a secret.

There also seems to be some drama with the natives on the planet the humans are colonizing, and in best novel fashion, it all comes down to Mickey7 to save the day.

Related: Bong Joon-Ho's Mickey7: Plot, Cast, and Everything Else We Know

Bong Joon-Ho Can Put Own Vision on the Source Material

robert-pattinson-high-life
A24

The story screams dark comedy, something Bong Joon-ho is certainly no stranger to. Ashton's Mickey character has been occasionally received controversially for his sardonic reaction to shocking situations and his use of humor at potentially inappropriate moments. Meanwhile, Joon-ho's articulation of drama and tragedy always has an ironic undertone, singing appreciation for the humor and resigned cynicism in every situation, especially the most absurd ones.

In short, it's a match made in heaven! We also mustn't forget that Robert Pattinson will be bringing his penchant for oddity to the protagonist, probably in a tone similar to Robert Egger's The Lighthouse.

Mickey7 gives Joon-ho a lot of room to play around. Edward Ashton has stated he doesn't have much involvement in the production, so now it's Joon-ho's time to shine, doing whatever he likes with the story and wowing us with a gritty, possibly raunchy, telling, and socially significant science fiction story for modern times.

It's hoped that Joon-ho is as drawn to the transportation paradox as its author was, as that seems to be the key binding tie between creator and story. There is a lot that a highly-skilled, versatile, and all-around brilliant filmmaker can do with a story like this, and we are excited to see him bring this brand new and engaging sci-fi predicament to life on the big screen, hopefully, in 2023!