Bong Joon-ho has teased details about his next horror project. Bong is the Oscar-winning director behind the 2019 film Parasite, which made a splash upon its release and catapulted the director into further international acclaim. Now, the South Korean creative is about to release Mickey 17. The English-language sci-fi action dark comedy will feature a star-studded cast including Robert Pattinson, Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Ackie, and Toni Collette, and is set for release on March 7. It is Bong’s first movie in six years.

Speaking with MBC Korea (translation via Fangoria), Bong teases details about his next film. Referring to the horror feature as his “life project,” he mentions that he has been ruminating on this story since 2001. Describing flashes of the film, he said, “We’re running through the underground section of the subway. In the car next to us, people wearing similar clothes start to come over to our side.” Check out the full description from Bong below:

That’s kind of like my life project. I’ve been thinking about it since 2001. We’re running through the underground section of the subway. In the car next to us, people wearing similar clothes start to come over to our side. We’re running. A lot of people start to come over to our side.

What This Means For Bong’s Next Project

The Director Returns To Horror After Nearly Two Decades

Bong confirming a horror movie as his next project backs up previous statements from the director. In 2020, following the release of Parasite, the director mentioned that he was working on a “Korean film” that would take place in Seoul and have “unique elements of horror and action.” This was one of two films he was working on at the time, the other of which became Mickey 17. Now, it is clear that this mysterious subterranean action movie will be this film. What the group of people is running from and what the “side” means remains to be seen.

Bong is no stranger to the horror genre, but his return to this form will be welcome. Though Parasite had horrific elements, the film leaned on its thriller and dark comedy aspects to weave its social-commentary-embedded tale. Before this, however, the director helmed the Korean-language film The Host in 2006. This movie has since become a Korean horror classic, boding well for the success of his latest horror film.

Our Take On Bong’s Next Project

Returning To Korean-Language Filmmaking Is Also Exciting

Bong’s film is also exciting because it will see the director return to filmmaking in his first language. The director’s work has crossed over into English quite swimmingly with Okja and Snowpiercer, but films such as Mother and Parasite are arguably even more proficient entries into his oeuvre. Thus, it will be dually exciting to see Bong re-explore both a years-old genre interest and Korean-language movie.

Source: MBC Korea (translation via Fangoria)