Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for the film Mickey 17 and the book Mickey7.Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho's new film, Mickey 17, seems to set up another big sci-fi film franchise. Based on Edward Ashton's 2022 novel Mickey7, 2025's Mickey 17 follows an "expendable" laborer on an ice planet colony who gets cloned every time he dies, only for two clones to eventually appear at the same time. With the award-winning director of the dystopian sci-fi movie Snowpiercer and the brilliant thriller Parasite at the helm, this promised to be an incredible adaptation.

Though Bong Joon-ho's new film was one of the Mickey 17's characters return in a sequel in the near future. With a decent 79% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has proven to be another hit for Bong, and it could expand into a larger franchise like Snowpiercer. However, while the foundation for a sequel is already built with Ashton's sequel book, Antimatter Blues, it appears that Bong has chosen to leave Mickey 17 where it is for now.

Mickey 17's Ending Does Not Directly Set Up A Sequel - Just Like The Book

Mickey 17 & Mickey7 Succeed As Standalone Stories

Though Mickey 17 and Mickey7 feature several differences, they each present themselves as self-contained narratives with barely any material setting up a sequel. Both stories show Mickey 18 (played by Robert Pattinson in the movie, and known as Mickey 8 in the book) dying, but in Mickey7, the expendables program doesn't end, Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) doesn't die, and the clone printer isn't destroyed.

Mickey7's conclusion isn't as final as Mickey 17's ending, but it still doesn't clearly indicate that it will lead to a sequel. On the other hand, Antimatter Blues was only written after the film adaptation of Mickey7 entered production, and Ashton may have been trying to capitalize on the hype created by Mickey 17. Meanwhile, Bong Joon-ho has expressed his interest in adapting the sequel in an interview with GamesRadar+, but also suggests that he will be busy with other projects for some time after 2025:

"When I was having a Zoom talk with Ed [Ashton], and he was telling me about it, and you know, he's such a great, fascinating writer, I would love to take on the challenge but to be honest, I have a plethora of new, weird ideas that I want to tackle, so I would like to move on to those rather than a sequel."

A Mickey 17 Sequel Is Still Possible Based On The Books

Antimatter Blues Lays The Foundation For A Mickey 17 Sequel

Yet Edward Ashton has shown us what a Mickey 17 sequel could look like with his 2023 novel Antimatter Blues. This book picks up years after Mickey7 ended, following Mickey 7 as he tries to retrieve an antimatter bomb that he hid to prevent conflict with Niflheim's native "creepers," as it could help refuel his colony in its hour of need. While the movie adaptation ends with some small victories achieved by the heroes, it is still possible to put another twist like this on the story in order for it to continue.

While Mickey7 had no explicit setup for a sequel, the way Antimatter Blues takes the bomb that Mickey hid in the first novel and turns it into a MacGuffin shows how simple it was to create the premise for the follow-up story. Though there is no such bomb in Mickey 17, the film implies Mickey's war is far from over, as there are still many fervent ers of the villainous Kenneth Marshall after his death. Mickey's nightmare at the film's end symbolizes how Marshall's evil ideas remain, showing how he could return in another form.

Mickey 17 Is Unlikely To Get A Sequel

Bong Joon-ho & Robert Pattinson May Not Return To Mickey 17

While Bong claimed he was interested in doing a Mickey 17 sequel, he hasn't directed any sequel films in his decades-long career, leaving his movies off as standalone stories. Notably, the director is minimally involved with the Snowpiercer series, which was inspired by his critically acclaimed movie. Also, since Bong Joon-ho's next film after Mickey 17 is reportedly an animated feature about deep sea creatures, it's not likely that he will make a sequel for this year's release anytime soon.

It's also unclear if Robert Pattinson will even be available to star in a Mickey 17 sequel. The high-profile actor is supposed to appear in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and Matt Reeves' The Batman - Part II within the next few years. Given Bong's auteur directorial style, it's doubtful that Pattinson would star in a Mickey 17 sequel without him, since the former was a core creative force in making the film.

In the end, Mickey 17 wrapped up its story quite well without any hanging plot threads that warrant a sequel. Nevertheless, Antimatter Blues shows how the franchise could live beyond Bong Joon-ho's one film despite its differences from the original novel. Bong and Pattinson's schedules may prevent such a sequel from appearing on the big screen, but the film could still be made.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, GamesRadar+