At CinemaCon, Focus Features unveiled the first look at Bugonia, the latest film from director Yorgos Lanthimos, best known for his collaboration with Emma Stone on The Favourite. The teaser, though brief, provided an intriguing glimpse into the dystopian narrative of the film, which stars Stone alongside Jesse Plemons, her co-star from Lanthimos’s previous film, Kinds of Kindness.
Bugonia is based on the 2003 South Korean sci-fi comedy Save the Green Planet and features a script by Will Tracy. The story centers on two conspiracy-obsessed young men who kidnap the CEO of a powerful corporation, believing she is an alien with plans to destroy Earth. The cast also includes Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, and Alicia Silverstone, rounding out a compelling ensemble.
The teaser opens with serene images of a garden—colorful flowers and busy bees—accompanied by an ominous voiceover explaining the process of pollination. The speaker highlights the crucial role bees play in our ecosystem, noting that “a third of our food is pollinated this way,” before mentioning the threat posed by the dying bee population. The voiceover takes a darker turn, warning of the consequences as the bees abandon the queen, and the colony falls into disarray.
As the footage progresses, Plemons is seen portraying a blue-collar worker, while Stone’s character is introduced as a powerful CEO, emerging from a luxurious mansion. The tension escalates when her character is abducted and later shown in captivity, with her head shaved and a fearful, pale expression marking her descent into a terrifying ordeal.
Bugonia is being produced by Miky Lee’s CJ ENM, with Midsommar’s Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen from Square Peg, as well as Element Pictures’ Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe. Stone, Aster, Knudsen, and Lee are also among the film’s producers.
Set to hit theaters on November 7, Bugonia promises to be another thought-provoking entry from Lanthimos, known for his unique narrative style and visual storytelling.
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