The next project by a five-time Academy Award nominee just got a major update. A new report from Variety revealed that Bugonia, the upcoming film from Yorgos Lanthimos, has officially begun production. The acclaimed director will reunite with two of his regulars in Emma Stone, who previously starred in both Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness, and Jesse Plemons, who played a lead role in the latter of the two aforementioned films alongside Stone. Plemons and Stone are the only two confirmed to star at the moment as additional casting is ongoing, but if Lanthimos wants to revisit his well of regulars like so many other directors have done (a la James Gunn), the casting of Willem Dafoe, who also starred in both Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness, could be coming soon.
Joon-Hwan Jang will write the screenplay for Bugonia along with Will Tracy, who has also written The Menu and several episodes of the hit HBO series, Succession. Lanthimos is fresh off the most acclaimed film of his career and one of the most beloved movies by the Academy of all time with Poor Things, which was nominated for 11 total Oscars and brought home four awards for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Lead Actress (Emma Stone), Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design. Poor Things was second in nominations only to Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer, which secured 13 total nominations and won seven total Oscars, completing the sweep that many felt was coming when the film premiered in Summer 2023.
What Is ‘Bugonia’ About?
It wouldn’t be a Lanthimos film without a story with a synopsis that made you do a double take the first and third time you read it. The film will follow two conspiracy-obsessed young men who kidnap the CEO of a large company after becoming convinced that she is an alien with plans to destroy planet Earth. Further plot details and character details are being kept under wraps, but it’s fair to assume that Plemons will likely be playing one of the conspiracy-obsessed men, with Stone stepping into the role of of the CEO. With Lanthimos in need of another “young man” to fill the role opposite Plemons, he could tap back into previous partners Ramy Youssef, Joe Alwyn, or even Mamoudou Athie.
Bugonia is currently slated for a November 7, 2025, release date. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates on the film and stream Poor Things exclusively on Hulu.
via Collider