After proving that their collaboration always works out, actor-director duo Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone are back once again with their upcoming movie “Bugonia,” which recently got its release date. The film, written by acclaimed screenwriter Will Tracy, features Jesse Plemons alongside Stone. Universal Pictures will release “Bugonia” internationally, excluding Korea, where CJ ENM will handle the local release.
How is this ‘Bugonia’ different from Yorgos Lanthimos’s other films?
Given his last three films, it can be said that Emma Stone is Yorgos Lanthimos’ go-to actress. The duo first came together for the 2018 film “The Favourite.” Fans then got to witness their second collaboration in 2023 for “Poor Things.” This film earned Stone her second Oscar trophy (she received her first Academy Award for “La La Land“). Most recently, the two partnered for “Kinds of Kindness,” which is also a well-acclaimed film. And now they are back with “Bugonia,” and it’s easy to assume that when this iconic pair is together, something great must be on its way.
However, it’s just Stone that remains the same in Lanthimos films. This time, the filmmaker has left Searchlight Pictures, which has released many of his films, including the Oscar winners “Poor Things” and “The Favourite,” as well as the upcoming “Kinds of Kindness.” Lanthimos’ latest movie is based on the South Korean sci-fi comedy “Save the Green Planet!.” It was written and directed by Jang Joon-Hwan and produced by Sidus. “Bugonia” follows two conspiracy-obsessed men who kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company. They are convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth. This English-language version was developed by CJ ENM with Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen at Square Peg.
As for Plemons, he was also a part of Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness“ and gave a phenomenal performance, proving Lanthimos’s keen eye for identifying talent. The Oscar-nominated Greek filmmaker’s directorial credits also include movies like “Dogtooth,” “The Lobster,” and “The Killing of a Sacred Deer.” Lanthimos’s films often feature uniquely framed cinematography, deadpan acting, and characters with stilted speech.
Fremantle and CJ ENM have financed the production of “Bugonia.” The producers are Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe for Element Pictures, Lanthimos, Aster, and Knudsen for Square Peg, Stone for Fruit Tree, and Miky Lee and Jerry Ko for CJ ENM.
The film is scheduled to hit the theaters on November 7, 2025.
