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What crazy thing did Emma Stone do in Yórgos Lánthimos’s next film?
Scheduled for release on November 5th, 2025, Bugonia is the new wild film by Greek director Yórgos Lánthimos. After Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness, the filmmaker is back alongside Emma Stone for a fifth collaboration. This time, the actress plays the role of a CEO kidnapped by conspiracy theorists. As the first trailer finally came out, Numéro tells you everything you need to know about this offbeat sci-fi comedy.
Published on June 26, 2025. Updated on July 1, 2025.
Emma Stone shaved her head for her role in Bugonia
A close, creative partnership links the actress and the director. Titled Bugonia, Yórgos Lánthimos’s upcoming feature once again calls upon the talent of his muse, Emma Stone, for the lead role. For the Greek filmmaker’s bold, new project, the American actress even shaved her head to play a powerful woman targeted by conspiracy theorists. The premise? “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.”
Bugonia also marks the return of another regular collaborator of Yórgos Lánthimos. Jesse Plemons, who won the award for Best Actor at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, will star in the film. He will play one of the conspiracy theorists alongside young actor Aidan Delbis. The latter is making his major acting debut in it. Another big name featured in the credits? Clueless actress Alicia Silverstone rounds out the cast.
A heated production for Yórgos Lánthimos’s latest film
For now, details about this sci-fi feature film remain tightly under wraps. What we do know at the moment is that it’s being developed by the studio CJ ENM (Parasite) in collaboration with director Ari Aster (Midsommar, Hereditary). As for the screenplay, it is being handled by Will Tracy, who previously worked with HBO on the series Succession (2018–2023). The plot is inspired by the 2003 South Korean comedy Save the Green Planet by Jang Joon-hwan. One question remains: how much liberty will Yórgos Lánthimos take regarding the source material?
Behind the scenes, however, the production of Bugonia was anything but smooth. Initially, the director had planned to shoot parts of the film on the Athenian Acropolis. However, the Central Archaeological Council of Greece denied his request. The institution refused to grant Yórgos Lánthimos permission to film there. As a result, the production was relocated to the shores of the island of Milos, off the Aegean Sea…
From Venice to the Oscars: a dynamic duo used to accolades
Despite this setback, the film could well make a splash at upcoming international film ceremonies. Ever since The Favourite, which earned Olivia Colman an Oscar in 2018, Yórgos Lánthimos and Emma Stone have embarked on a series of successful collaborations. If Poor Things earned Emma Stone her second Oscar in 2024, the duo continues to push boundaries with increasingly daring projects. A bet that has paid off so far, especially with Kinds of Kindness (2024), a pitch-black comedy, and Bleak (2022), a silent short film presented as a theatrical performance in New York only.
Currently in post-production, Bugonia marks the fifth collaboration between the Greek director and the 35-year-old actress. A partnership that benefits both the actress. She can step out her comfort zone, while the filmmaker can quench his thirst for experimentation. A regular at the Venice Film Festival, the latter might well present Bugonia on the Lagoon this year. Recipient of the award for Best Screenplay, the Grand Jury Prize, and the Golden Lion for Poor Things, the Greek director’s tenth feature could once again sweep the board at the upcoming edition of the festival, held from August 27th to September 8th, 2025.
Fatale, Yórgos Lánthimos’s next project
Even though Bugonia has been release in theaters yet, Yórgos Lánthimos is already working on his next project. According to The Film Stage, the prolific Greek filmmaker’s new film could be an adaptation of the crime novel Fatale, originally published by Jean-Patrick Manchette in 1977. Very little is known about the film right now, except that it is expected to feature a professional killer operating in a port town.
The big question is, which actress will land this already intriguing role? Many expect Emma Stone to take on the lead for yet another collaboration with the Greek director. Speaking to Numéro for the release of Poor Things, Emma Stone talked about her relationship with the filmmaker: “We understand each other. We don’t need to talk too much about things. He doesn’t like to intellectualize, which is wonderful because neither do I. It’s really helpful, whether we’re discussing a character’s physicality or just exploring rhythms and trying things out. He’s open to experimentation.”
Bugonia (2025) by Yórgos Lánthimos will come out in theaters on November 5th, 2025. Fatale (2027) by Yórgos Lánthimos does not have a release date yet.
