Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone are back—and this time, they’re arriving sooner than expected. The highly anticipated film Bugonia, a genre-defying collaboration between the visionary director and the Oscar-winning actress, will premiere in select U.S. theaters on October 24, with a nationwide expansion slated for October 31. The adjusted timeline moves the release ahead of its original November 7 date, building buzz for what’s shaping up to be one of fall’s most provocative cinematic offerings.
Bugonia marks another daring departure in Lanthimos’s already genre-blurring filmography. A remake of the cult South Korean sci-fi dark comedy Save the Green Planet, the story centers around two conspiracy theorists who abduct the CEO of a major corporation, convinced she’s an extraterrestrial threat to humanity. The satirical premise balances perfectly between absurdism and paranoia—a creative sweet spot for Lanthimos, whose previous films (The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer) have earned him a reputation for high-concept storytelling with existential edge.
Emma Stone once again anchors the surreal narrative, deepening her collaborative rapport with the auteur. After three consecutive projects—The Favourite, Poor Things, and the recent Kinds of Kindness—the duo have carved out a singular space in modern cinema where whimsy meets discomfort and art flirts with provocation.
This time, they’re joined by Jesse Plemons, a recent Lanthimos favorite, as well as rising star Aidan Delbis, comedian Stavros Halkias, and screen icon Alicia Silverstone. With a cast this eclectic and a director known for flipping genres on their heads, Bugonia isn’t just a film—it’s a cultural statement.
Behind the camera, screenwriter Will Tracy—known for his work on The Menu and Succession—infuses the script with satirical bite, ensuring Bugonia will resonate with audiences drawn to the collision of pop culture and societal critique. Production credits read like a who’s-who of indie powerhouses: Lanthimos’s Pith and Stone’s Fruit Tree lead, joined by Element Pictures’ Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe, Midsommar auteur Ari Aster via Square Peg, and CJ ENM’s Miky Lee and Jerry Kyoungboum Ko.
The film also marks a notable pivot in distribution. After a trio of films with Searchlight Pictures, Bugonia found its home with Focus Features, who won a competitive bidding war for U.S. rights. International distribution will be handled by Universal Pictures, signaling the studio’s confidence in the film’s global appeal.
Bugonia lands among a heavyweight slate that includes Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, Wes Anderson’s latest, The Phoenician Scheme, and Ethan Coen’s Honey Don’t! starring Margaret Qualley and Chris Evans. Still, with its pedigree and creative audacity, Bugonia stands poised to be the conversation-starter of awards season—and maybe even the next cult classic.
