Bong Joon-Ho Reveals Details About His Upcoming Films
Bong Joon-Ho is working on his first animated feature film while teasing his next live-action movie, that is described as an action horror film.
The last time a Bong Joon-Ho film was released, it was an absolute behemoth—critically and culturally. It ended up being his highest-grossing film by far and took home both a Palme d’Or at Cannes and Best Picture at the Academy Awards. While it took Bong Joon-Ho nearly six years to get another film released, it sounds like he has been working on multiple projects in the meanwhile.
One of them being Bong Joon-Ho’s return to Hollywood. Mickey 17 with Robert Pattinson for WB is his next movie. The film is set to release on February 28th in South Korea and March 7th in the United States.
The director is currently in the midst of promoting the film. While appearing on a South Korean talk show, Bong Joon-Ho revealed details about his next two films after Mickey 17:
Animated Feature Film
Bong Joon-Ho’s next film will be an animated film based on the Deep Sea. While he didn’t divulge too much information on the project, he revealed what the film would look like.
The talk show host asked about the animated film and Bong Joon Ho responded:
“The deep sea is pitch dark, and these creatures live there, isolated and alone, very cute yet lonely beings who live uneventful lives—until, every few years, a submarine from National Geographic or the BBC descends to film them. That’s when they get incredibly excited. They practice their acting, thinking, ‘We have to make the final cut in the National Geographic editing room.”
He also revealed that this description is only the first minute and a half of the film. He noted that the film itself is still being worked on in terms of animation. It’s unclear when the film will release at this time.
This is the director’s first venture into animation. It’s unclear what genre this film will end up being but Bong Joon-Ho’s description is very intriguing. The director is fantastic at mixing humor into his films even the ones with dark subjects, so it will be curious to see if this one is more of a comedy.
South Korean Horror Action Film
Bong Joon-Ho revealed that his next live-action film will be a horror action film set in Seoul. He calls it his “life’s project,” and says he’s been working on it since 2001, which would be right after his debut film. He described the opening of the film as:
“A subway train is speeding through an underground section, and suddenly, people wearing similar clothing start jumping from the next car into ours. More and more of them keep coming, flooding in nonstop. That’s all I’ll reveal for now.”
It is not the director’s first venture into either horror or action. Snowpiercer is his most notable action film, but in terms of horror, he’s had Antarctic Journal and The Host. It will be his first time fusing the two genres.
Knowing Bong Joon-Ho, one thing is clear—the movie will likely not be traditional in either genre. The director is very well known for his ability to subvert expectations, which was a major part in Parasite’s success.
