Is Mickey 17 Adapted from a Book? Exploring the Original Source Material

The highly anticipated first trailer for Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17 has finally premiered online, and it features Robert Pattinson experiencing repeated deaths. In this upcoming film, Pattinson portrays Mickey, a character who volunteers as a disposable employee sent on various expeditions. Interestingly, each time Mickey dies, he is replaced with a perfect clone of himself.

Notably, Mickey 17 is adapted from the sci-fi novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton. The main difference between the two titles is numerical; while Mickey dies about six times in the novel, the film will showcase approximately ten more deaths, leading to a total of around sixteen deaths for the character.

Overview of Edward Ashton’s novel, the basis for Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17

The film Mickey 17 is based on Edward Ashton’s novel Mickey7, which tells the story of Mickey Barnes, a man seeking a better life away from Earth. To achieve this, he becomes an expendable worker on an expedition. Each time he meets his end, a clone is created with all of his memories preserved.

During an expedition to colonize the icy planet Nilfheim, Mickey7, who has died six times, is presumed dead but actually survives. Upon returning to base, he finds he has been replaced by clone Mickey8, and in this world, duplicates are detested and often sent to die for the purpose of protein recycling.

This sets Moses on a course for survival as he fights to avoid dying permanently. According to Macmillan Publishers, the official synopsis for Mickey7 states:

“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.”

The synopsis continues:

“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.”

Reasons Behind the Title Change from Mickey7 to Mickey 17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osYpGSz_0i4

Mickey 17 | Official Trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osYpGSz_0i4)

At CinemaCon on April 9, 2024, Bong Joon-ho and Robert Pattinson presented the first trailer for Mickey 17. During this exclusive event, the director explained the title change from Mickey7 to Mickey 17 by humorously mentioning that his character dies “10 times more.”

Fans can expect to see Robert Pattinson’s character meet his demise approximately 16 times in this sci-fi film. The movie’s cast includes Naomi Ackie as Nasha Adjaya, Steven Yeun as Berto, Toni Collette as Gwen Johansen, Mark Ruffalo as Hieronymous Marshall, and others.

Mickey 17 was initially slated for release this year but has been postponed to next year, now scheduled to hit theaters on January 31, 2025.

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