By Independent science fiction literature is filled with captivating stories that prove how bold ideas can be brought to life by innovative writers. One such story is Mickey7, penned by Edward Ashton. This novel, which raises profound questions about cloning technology, human existence, and consciousness, has not only captivated readers but also left its mark on the film industry. Adapted into a movie titled Mickey 17 by renowned South Korean director Bong Joon-ho, the project has become one of the most highly anticipated releases among sci-fi enthusiasts.
So, how did Mickey7 come to life? How does its film adaptation differ from the original work? And what was Edward Ashton’s experience as a sci-fi author throughout this journey? To find answers to these questions, we conducted an exclusive interview with him. We extend our gratitude to him for accepting our request and sharing his insights. Now, let’s take a behind-the-scenes look at this remarkable work that has made waves in both the literary and cinematic worlds.
Who is Edward Ashton? How did you start your writing career?
I suppose the answer to this question depends on how you define “my writing career.” I’ve thought of myself as a writer for as long as I can remember. When my parents were cleaning out their house some years ago, they found a folder full of stories I’d written when I was five or six years old, scrawled in pencil on loose leaf notebook paper. They weren’t great, obviously, but wow, were they dark. I was a very weird kid.
If you’re talking about the part of my career where other people are actually interested in reading the things I write, though, that began, more or less, when I was twenty years old. I sold my first story that year, to the newsletter of an Italian sausage company. They paid me $100 and a giant pizza. I still consider that to be one of my best-ever paydays as a writer. I spent the next few years selling short stories to tiny literary magazines for tiny amounts of money, before finally deciding to take the plunge and write an actual book. Six months later I finished the first draft of Three Days in April (HarperCollins, 2015) and things just sort of took off from there.
How did the idea for Mickey7 come about? Were there any authors or works that inspired you?
Like most of my stories, Mickey7 began with an image that got stuck in my head—specifically, the image of a man trapped deep in a crevasse, injured and freezing. I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t know what he was doing there. I didn’t even know if the crevasse was on present-day Earth or somewhere and somewhen else entirely. I wrote a page or two of his internal monologue, and then decided that this scene would work better if I gave him a friend. That’s when Berto was born. The scene grew into a short story, which grew into a novella, which (with some encouragement from Navah Wolfe, who was an editor with Penguin at the time) grew into a novel.
I’m a voracious reader, and I suspect you could find influences from many writers in different aspects of Mickey7. A few do stand out, though. Before he wrote ASOIF, George R.R. Martin wrote a series of far-future science fiction novels set in a universe that bears some similarities to the one Mickey inhabits. The best of these books is called Dying of the Light. It’s one of my all-time favorites, and I find bits and pieces of it bleeding into many of my works. The idea for the central conflict of Mickey7 (two copies of the same person fighting over a single life) has shown up in many books and stories over the years, but my specific inspiration was Good Night, Mr. James, which was written by Clifford D. Simak and first published in 1951.
Mickey is quite different and entertaining compared to characters we typically see in science fiction. Did you draw inspiration from your own life when creating this character?
When you’re writing in the first person, it’s difficult to prevent at least a bit of you from seeping through to your narrator, and there is definitely at least a hint of me in Mickey. His voice, in particular, sounds an awful lot like mine at times, and his penchant for being a know-it-all probably tracks with me as well. His name and his physical presence are drawn (mostly) from one of my oldest friends, who was thankfully not offended that I wrote a book about killing off his namesake over and over again.
In Turkey, most people will likely know you from your book Mickey7, as none of your other works have been translated yet. What can you tell readers about Antimatter Blues, the sequel to Mickey7? Were there any aspects of your storytelling that you developed or changed?
Antimatter Blues is a straightforward continuation of Mickey’s story. It picks up about 18 months after the events of Mickey7. Spring has come to Niflheim, and things have been looking up for Mickey. He’s retired from the expendable business, and has managed to leverage Commander Marshall’s belief that he can communicate with the creepers (he can’t, actually) into a cushy job as a rabbit farmer. Obviously, that’s not going to last.
When an accident in the antimatter reactor that powers the colony endangers the survival of the human presence on Niflheim, Marshall calls on Mickey to convince the creepers to return the fuel-filled bomb he thinks Mickey left with them at the end of Mickey7. Unfortunately, Mickey can’t actually speak to the creepers, they don’t have the bomb in any case, and when Mickey and Nasha return to the place where he actually hid it at the end of the last book, it isn’t there.
The style and tone of Antimatter Blues is pretty similar to that of Mickey7, as you’d expect from a sequel. The main difference is that all the work of world-building is done, so I was able to get right to the fun stuff with this one. It’s a little less philosophical and a little more adventuresome, but at the end of the day if you liked the first book, you’ll probably like this one at least as much.
How does it feel to have your book adapted into a film by a masterful director like Bong Joon-ho?
The entire process has been surreal. That’s the only way I can describe it. I have a photo on my wall of me and Director Bong standing with our arms around one another’s shoulders, grinning for the camera. Every time I look at it, I have to spend a brief moment questioning my sanity.
Were you consulted during the adaptation process?
I had a two hour call with Director Bong before he began the process of writing the script for Mickey17. The novel had not been published yet, but he had a copy that he had printed out and illustrated himself. We talked through every detail of the book—How big is the ship? How far is it from Niflheim to Earth? How do creepers reproduce?—and also discussed some of the underlying themes and philosophical questions that the book raises. Toward the end of the call, Director Bong asked me what I thought was the heart of my book, and he promised that he would include whatever that was in the film. I thought about it for a moment, and then said, “Chapter 19. That has to be there.” He said, “I’m so happy to hear that. I cried when I read that part. I was going to use it either way.” I asked if I could pick something else then, and he said no, and that was the end of my consultation on the script.
That might sound like I’m complaining. I absolutely am not. Director Bong did not in any way have to give me that input. It was a kindness from him to me, and I will be forever grateful for it.
As you mentioned in the video you made for Turkish readers, “Cool kids always read the book too.” But are there significant differences between the film and the book? If so, do you think these differences make it more suitable as a cinematic work?
There are absolutely many differences between the book and the film. This is of course a necessary consequence of translating a story from one art form into another. As Director Bong said to me, “You wrote a 300 page novel. I’m writing a 120 page script. Things are going to change.” Most of the changes (beyond the trimming of the story down to fit the screen) involved making things that I wrote in shades of gray into vivid black and white. As an example, there is one particular scene in the book that I wrote as a conversation between two characters. In the film, that same scene is present and it serves the exact same purpose in terms of moving the plot forward, but instead of a conversation it’s a hugely kinetic fistfight. Similarly, some characters who I might have written as morally ambiguous are more clearly good or bad in the film. I do think these changes were probably necessary in order to make a successful transition from the written word to the screen. In any case, having now seen the film, I can say for certain that they worked.
What do you think about Robert Pattinson being cast as Mickey? How well does he match the version of Mickey you envisioned while writing?
Robert Pattinson is a bit taller and a lot prettier than the Mickey I described in the book. Once again, though, I think that’s probably a necessary part of the translation from book to screen. Nobody wants to spend two hours staring at two copies of an average-looking guy.
Since your book hasn’t been translated into Turkish yet, it’s a bit difficult for me to comment on this, but would you like to see Antimatter Bluesadapted for the big screen in the future?
I’d like to see all of my books adapted for the big screen in the future 🙂
Seriously, though, I think Antimatter Blues would make an insanely good film. Let me know if you know anyone who wants to fund the project.
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