Acclaimed filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is shifting gears — and release dates. Bugonia, his upcoming dark sci-fi comedy starring long-time collaborator Emma Stone, will now land in select cinemas on 24 October 2025, before expanding nationwide on 31 October, just in time for Halloween weekend. Once set for 7 November, the film now seems timed for a likely Venice premiere.
Production only recently kicked off in London, but Focus Features appears confident in the film’s trajectory — unsurprising, given Lanthimos’ recent winning streak. Following the critical success of Poor Things and the Cannes-debuted Kinds of Kindness (also starring Stone), Bugonia marks the fourth consecutive feature the director has made with his Oscar-winning muse. Their creative partnership also includes the artful short film Bleat, which premiered at the New York Film Festival.
Bugonia is a reimagining of the 2003 South Korean genre-blender Save the Green Planet!, which garnered a cult following for its wild tonal shifts and offbeat premise. The story follows two conspiracy-fueled young men who abduct a powerful CEO, convinced she’s not just ruthless — but an extraterrestrial with plans to destroy Earth. Stone takes on the enigmatic role, joined by Jesse Plemons in what promises to be a deliciously unpredictable duo.
With a script by Succession and The Menu writer Will Tracy and production from Hereditary’s Ari Aster, Bugonia is shaping up to be a genre mashup that sits squarely in Lanthimos’ delightfully twisted wheelhouse.
