Ever since the release of Poor Things, Greek satirist and directorial auteur Yorgos Lanthimos seems to have kicked up his aspirations toward prolific status. Only a few months after his lauded twist on the Frankenstein story, he was teaming again with muse Emma Stone (who also starred in The Favourite) on Kinds of Kindness. And now here we are roughly a year later once again, and Lanthimos has another major, Emma Stone starring role to drop on the world in the form of “science fiction comedy” Bugonia. Lanthimos isn’t credited as a writer this time around, as the film is from a screenplay by Will Tracy, and is in fact a remake of a project from more than two decades ago: 2003’s Save the Green Planet! from South Korean director Jang Joon-hwan.
With that said, this plot about conspiracy addled men abducting a powerful CEO because they think she’s an alien in disguise could hardly feel more apropos for 2025 and the current media landscape where we reside. That’s the extent of our available synopsis, by the way: “Two conspiracy obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.” Those two men are played by Aidan Delbis and another Lanthimos recent regular in the form of the always delightful Jesse Plemons, who narrates the conspiratorial ramblings of the just-released teaser and seems to be the “brains” of the operation. They’re joined in the cast of Bugonia by Savros Halkias and Alicia Silverstone, in undisclosed roles.
Of course, to a child of the ’90s the thing that really is apt to capture your attention taking a look at this first footage is the fact that Green Day’s Dookie-era classic “Basket Case” suddenly bursts in halfway through. Suffice to say, it’s not exactly the aural accompaniment you expect to grace footage from the guy who made The Lobster and The Favourite, but it feels entirely appropriate with the chaotic footage that follows as Plemons and his associate kidnap Emma Stone’s CEO from her home and insist that she must be an alien with evil plans for the human race. One wonders just how dark Lanthimos intends to be in taking this premise toward what could be a grisly conclusion, no doubt with venomous cultural commentary for our current social moment.
We’ll find out more when Bugonia steals its way into theaters on Oct. 31. A Halloween release date for a satirical comedy? Well, presumably either Lanthimos or Focus Features know what they’re doing. Take a look at the first footage below.
