Edward Ashton doesn’t care that the film adaptation of his acclaimed sci-fi novel is taking liberties with the source material.

Ashton wrote Mickey7, about Mickey, a space colonist who signs up as an “expendable”, meaning he is one of the workers taking on the most dangerous tasks necessary for his fellow colonists trying to make a home on an icy planet. Fortunately, when one Mickey succumbs to injuries received on the job, another is cloned to take his place, with most of his memories intact. Shenanigans (and consequences) ensue.

Ashton’s book was listed as one of the best sci-fi novels of 2022, and racked up good reviews. Mickey7 also came to the attention of Parasite director (and multiple Oscar-winner) Bong Joon Ho, who wrote a screen treatment of the novel that adds a few more Mickeys – more than ten more.

The trailer for Mickey 17 dropped on Tuesday, and rather than be upset at the changes, Ashton took to Twitter to laud the screen version of his book.

Ashton wrote, “many folks have asked if I’m nervous about what Director Bong will do with my baby. I always said no. This shows you why. I knew from our first conversation that Bong got MICKEY7. It’s dark and deep and funny and I can’t express how jazzed I am right now.”

It’s easy to see why Ashton is “jazzed.” The trailer, set to the bouncy Dean Martin-sung “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head,” the trailer shows Robert Pattinson in the lead roles, sporting a nebbishy accent, blithely accepting his grisly fate over and over again. It’s reminiscent of Bill Murray’s death-montage in
Groundhog Day, in a good way.

What we see in the trailer marks the film as a madcap comedy, especially towards the end when a new Mickey clone is made before the last one is completely – or even a little – dead.

The star-studded cast also includes Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo, and opens in theaters on Jamuary 31st, 2025. If Mickey 17 does well at the box office, there is definite franchise potential for this story. Ashton has already written a sequel called Antimatter Blues, which was released in 2023 – and he said he is contemplating the next book in the series.