Bong Joon-ho has hinted at the release window of his next movie after Mickey 17. Though he has been working for decades, Bong became best known internationally when he made Parasite in 2019, a movie that went on to win Best Picture. Now, he directs the sci-fi film Mickey 17, which is set for release on March 7. Mickey 17 follows the story of a man who signs up to be an “expendable,” going on a mission through space to colonize a distant planet. The film features a leading cast including Robert Pattinson, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo, and Steven Yeun.

Speaking with Collider, Bong reveals the expected release date for his next movie. According to the director, the movie is actively “in the works” and could come out as early as 2027. Bong also teases what that project’s production is looking like, saying that he has “more than 100 artists working on the film.” He called it “a really unique story about deep sea creatures.” Check out the full quote from Bong below:

“I have been working on this animation film since 2019, and now we have more than 00 artists working on the film, and the pipeline is fully going. It’s a really unique story about deep sea creatures that features very adorable creature protagonists. We also have human characters. It’s a very unique CGI animated film, and it’s really going. It’s under works now. 2027, maybe.”

What This Means For The Bong Movie

This Would Be A Small Release Gap For A Bong Movie

Bong has been speaking a lot about this unтιтled project recently, a fact which in and of itself is a great sign. He confirmed to MBC Korea that his next movie will be a horror film, as previously announced, and in this most recent interview, he also verified its animated status. Bong has referred to the movie as his “life project” and mentioned that he has been thinking about the story since 2001. This thoughtfulness is a great sign of the movie’s quality.

The active work being done on the Bong movie is also a good sign that it could actually be released on the director’s proposed 2027 timeline. Previously, there was a six-year gap between the release of Parasite and this year’s Mickey 17. Before that, Bong’s career has also seen significant gaps such as the four-year gap between Snowpiercer and Okja. This next movie’s 2027 release would be a smaller gap than what Bong is often used to, and a welcome change for those who spent years waiting for Mickey 17.

Our Take On The Bong Movie Update

Mickey 17 Experienced Delays

While I’m cautious to be confident about this early release window reveal, given Mickey 17‘s delays, seeing another Bong film in just two years would certainly be exciting. Other auteur directors (e.g. Wes Anderson) have smoothly made a transition into directing engaging and unique animated films, and I believe Bong’s animated jaunt will be no exception. As news develops on this project, it will be interesting to find out more about how these deep-sea creatures and human characters interact within the wild world of Bong‘s high-effort next project.

Source: Collider