“He’s my muse”: Emma Stone reunites with Yorgos Lanthimos once again for Focus Feature’s “Bugonia”

Fresh off his awards success with 2023’s acclaimed “Poor Things” and the positive reception of his newest feature, the anthology film “Kinds of Kindness,” which premiered this week at Cannes, one of the busiest men in Hollywood, Yorgos Lanthimos, is announcing another film reuniting with Emma Stone. This time, he will partner with Focus Features, not Searchlight, which has worldwide rights to the previous two films mentioned, with the film “Bugonia.”

It will follow a pair of conspiracy theorists who kidnap a CEO, convinced she is an alien hell-bent on destroying Earth. Lanthimos will once again team up with Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone, who also worked alongside him on “Kinds of Kindness.” Will Tracy, the co-writer of 2022’s hit “The Menu,” will pen the script, marking a departure away from his regular collaborators Tony McNamara (The Favourite, Poor Things) or Efythmis Filippou (The Lobster, Dogtooth). However, his offbeat and dark comedic sensibilities should pair nicely with the director renowned for his distinct style.

Focus Features is a good fit for the director, as they specialize in awards-contending independent films, having run successful campaigns in the past years for films such as Licorice Pizza, Tar, and The Holdovers. The film is based on the 2003 Korean film “Save the  Green Planet,” a well-received film and source material that seems to complement Lanthimos’ style, a bizarre hybrid of genres that blends dark comedy and gripping tension.

Ari Aster (Midsommar, Hereditary, Beau Is Afraid) will serve as producer, who also produced 2023’s “Dream Scenario” starring Nick Cage and Guy Maddin’s “Rumours” which is also premiering alongside Yorgos’ “Kinds of Kindness” at this year’s Cannes film festival. No release date or further information is known as of now, but we will likely have to wait until 2025 for the film. Whilst this may seem a long time, we don’t have to wait too long for more Yorgos content, as “Kinds of Kindness” will hit theatres in most territories at the end of June.