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Prior to its release early last year, filmmaker Bong Joon Ho’s sci-fi feature “Mickey 17” was the subject of various reports about behind-the-scenes creative disputes.
Specifically, the reports indicate Bong and studio Warner Bros. Pictures had come to a disagreement over the final cut of the $150 million-budgeted film, which stars Robert Pattinson, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo.
Originally slated for March 2024, the film was pushed back an entire year, with the delay attributed to Warner’s desire to release a ‘more accessible’ version at the time.
In June 2024, Bong shot those reports down, saying it was in his contract that he had full control over the editing process. He added that he submitted his completed edit to the studio back in November 2023, and the studio had been nothing but supportive.
Now, at Cannes to promote his new animated film “Ally,” he was asked by Variety if having a large budget led to him losing creative control over “Mickey 17”. He says it didn’t and takes responsibility for any issues anyone had with the film creatively:
“Director’s final cut was part of my contract, and everyone at the studio and at my agency tried their best to protect me. Of course, during post production, there was lots of discussions and a lot of opinions going back and forth, but it wasn’t ever like someone was forcing something on me or giving me pressure. And so luckily, all my films have been released as my director’s final cut, even a movie as big as “Mickey 17,” and all the good parts of that film and all the bad parts of that film came from me. I take full responsibility. So s–t on me if you didn’t like it.”
Costing $118 million to produce and $80 million to market, the film had pulled in just $133 million by the end of its global release, with the studio reportedly losing as much as $80 million on the film.
The post Bong Joon Ho Owns “Mickey 17” Creative Issues appeared first on Dark Horizons.
