Director Yorgos Lanthimos’ upcoming spin on the Frankenstein tale, Poor Things, has been pushed from its planned September 8 release date, and will now debut on December 8. While it’s still a hot awards season contender, the delay announcement comes at a time when the industry is reconsidering the fall release season because of the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which prohibit talent from promoting movies and shows or engaging in any publicity activity. Several major film and TV productions have been paused during this time, as studios continue to make a mockery of the people who actually create material for them to get rich off of.
The film’s inclusion in the Venice lineup was accompanied by a new still that shows Mark Ruffalo gazing intently at Emma Stone. In the genre-fluid movie, Stone plays a young woman who is “brought back to life” by a scientist, only to run off with a “slick and debauched lawyer,” played by Ruffalo.
The new still teases the singular vision of Lanthimos, who after breaking out in his native Greece with a handful of acclaimed features, made the move to Hollywood with the absurdist comedy The Lobster. He has since emerged as one of the most admired directors in the industry, having delivered back to back awards season hits such as The Killing of a Sacred Deer and The Favourite. In Poor Things, he reunites with his The Favourite star Stone, and also with that film’s writer, Tony McNamara.
Poor Things Looks Like The Most Ambitious Movie of Lanthimos’ Career
Poor Things is based on a 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray. The new still shows off not only the exquisite costumes by Holly Waddington, but also cinematographer Robbie Ryan’s evocative lighting, and the film’s excellent makeup and hairstyling. Stone’s character, Bella Baxter, appears to have a rather lifeless look on her face, as Ruffalo’s Duncan Wedderburn holds her in his arms. It’s more sinister than romantic, teasing the emancipation tale at the movie’s core. Lanthimos clearly loves working with Stone, and they’ve already set up their new project, the anthology film AND.
A new trailer for Poor Things was released some weeks ago, and it teased the odd mix of genres that Lanthimos is attempting. Poor Things has elements of science-fiction, surrealist comedy, costume drama, and even a little horror. The trailer also showed off Lanthimos’ flamboyant visuals, which play around with color and black and white, and also miniatures and matte paintings.
Also starring Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, Margaret Qualley, Kathryn Hunter and Jerrod Carmichael, Poor Things was originally set up for a clash against The Nun II and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 on September 8, but will now debut two days before Kraven the Hunter and Killers of the Flower Moon. You can watch the trailer here, and read the official synopsis down below.
From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.
via Collider