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Robert Pattinson Pining for a Career in Asia After Mickey 17: ‘Korea Could Become a Second Home’
Robert Pattinson has a burning desire to make it big in East Asia, starting with his highly anticipated 2025 sci-fi adventure film, Mickey 17.
Now, the restless actor says he’s open to quitting Hollywood and setting up home there with partner Suki Waterhouse and their new baby girl, a source exclusively reveals to Life & Style.
“Rob went into Mickey 17 with a very positive attitude around the idea of working with a Korean director and a mostly Korean crew to craft a movie that could be as big a hit in the Far East as it is in the U.S.,” the source says of the Good Time actor, 38.
The film, which is based on the hit novel Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton, is a joint American-Korean production, with funding coming from the U.S. and behind-the-screen talent largely sourced from Korea, including Bong Joon-ho, who is writing, directing and coproducing.
“It’s been a real ride for Rob and he’s had great support from Brad Pitt and the other Western producers involved,” the insider continues, “but the prize for Rob and his team is a real footprint in the red-hot Korean media marketplace.”
A good chunk of Hollywood seems to have the same ambitions as the Twilight star. The Korean film industry has exploded recently, especially with the astounding success of Parasite, which became the first ever foreign-language film to win an Oscar for Best Picture. Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox and Netflix have all set up Korea-based studios to break into the market.
“Warner Bros. has committed to putting a lot of money and energy behind making Rob into a bona fide star in South Korea and giving him a base there from which he can mount more projects,” the insider says. “The Plan B-produced Mickey 17 is completed and ready to be released in January 2025.”
“It’s something you’re seeing a lot lately with the U.S. movie business in something of a decline,” the source explains. “The biggest stars, Rob included, are looking at territories where they’ll have an easier time getting stuff made.”
Rob welcomed a baby girl with wife Suki, 32, in March. The Batman star has definitely been busy the new addition to his family, telling a fellow Dior Homme Menswear Spring/Summer 2025 show attendee that he couldn’t stay long in Paris and “had to get back for the baby.” Either he’s going to have to suffer some separation anxiety in order to make it big in Asia or possibly even relocate, the source reveals.
“Rob has landed on Korea as a place that could become a second home for him, Suki and their new family.”
The insider continues: “The big test is going to come next January, when Rob actually goes to Korea to promote the film and drum up interest. He has fans in Asia, but this is the first Asian-generated project he’s ever done.”
“The studio is promising him he’ll get a hero’s welcome in Seoul, and Rob is keeping his fingers crossed that he can break through there the way he has in the U.S. and Europe,” the source says.
Despite having his eye on the Korean market, Rob still has some projects in the works back in Hollywood.
“Rob is also developing a horror remake of Possesion for Paramount,” says the insider. “His next movie role is still expected to be The Batman: Part II.”
