First Look at Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Bugonia”Unveiled at CinemaCon
Focus Features recently captivated audiences at CinemaCon with a sneak peek of Yorgos Lanthimos’ highly anticipated film, Bugonia.
Star-Studded Cast
This intriguing new project features Emma Stone, a frequent collaborator with Lanthimos and an Academy Award winner, alongside Jesse Plemons, who starred with her in the director’s previous work, Kinds of Kindness. The screenplay, crafted by Will Tracy, revolves around two conspiracy-driven young men who take matters into their own hands by kidnapping a powerful CEO, believing her to be an alien threatening the future of Earth. Additional cast members include Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, and Alicia Silverstone.
A Glimpse into the Teaser
The teaser, while short, presented a striking visual landscape beginning with tranquil garden scenes filled with vibrant flowers and busy bees. An eerie voiceover narrated the “magnificent” process of pollination, emphasizing its integral role in food production. “The workers gather pollen for the queen,” it states ominously, warning that “a third of our food is pollinated this way, but the bees are dying.” The tone shifts as it indicates the collapse of the colony as its workers abandon the queen.
Character Dynamics Unfold
In the snippets showcased, Plemons appears as a blue-collar technical worker, juxtaposing Stone’s portrayal of a glamorous CEO, complete with all the trappings of success. A pivotal moment in the footage features her being tackled into nearby bushes, highlighting the film’s dramatic turning point during her abduction. Following this chaos, viewers see a vulnerable, bald Stone, reflecting profound fear and dismay in her expression.
Inspired by a Cult Classic
Bugonia draws inspiration from the 2003 South Korean sci-fi comedy Save the Green Planet. The adaptation into English was steered by Miky Lee’s CJ ENM, with notable contributions from Ari Aster, the director of Midsommar, and producer Lars Knudsen at Square Peg. The film is produced by Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe for Element Pictures, alongside a collaborative effort from Lanthimos, Aster, Knudsen, Stone, Lee, and Jerry Kyoungboum Ko for CJ ENM.
The Release Date
Anticipation is building as Bugonia is set to hit theaters on November 7. Be sure to mark your calendars!
For further information and visual content, visit the Hollywood Reporter.