Fresh off his brief but scene-stealing performance in “Civil War,” Jesse Plemons is reteaming with six-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos for his next film, now titled “Bugonia,” which has landed at Focus Features for North America. Plemons is also one of the many ensemble talents in Lanthimos’ “Kinds Of Kindness,” which just premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and co-stars Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie, and Hunter Schafer (read our review).
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And it wouldn’t be a Yorgos Lanthimos film without Stone and don’t worry, she’s already been cast as the lead. Formerly an untitled project, “Bugonia” is actually based on the South Korean sci-fi comedy “Save The Green Planet” from 2003. This English language version was developed by CJ ENM with Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen at Square Peg. Fremantle and CJ ENM have financed the production.
“Bugonia” centers on two conspiracy-obsessed young men who kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth. That sounds like Stone with the CEO role, Plemons as one of the two young men, and an eventual casting slot available for the other.
“Bugonia” will be written by Will Tracy, known for “Succession” and “The Menu,” also making it the first Lanthimos film not written or co-written by Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou or Tony McNamara, his usual collaborators (though Deborah Davis, is also credited with “The Favourite”)
Producers on the project include Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe (Element Pictures), Yorgos Lanthimos, Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen (Square Peg), Emma Stone (Fruit Tree), Miky Lee and Jerry Kyoungboum Ko (CJ ENM).
“Bugonia” will be Lanthimos’ first movie for Focus Features; most of his other U.S. pictures are distributed by Searchlight Pictures or A24.
“Yorgos Lanthimos is a cinematic visionary with a singular style that has captivated audiences worldwide,” Peter Kujawski, Chairman of Focus Features, said in a statement. “We could not be more excited to partner with him, Emma, and the incredible teams at Element, Square Peg, and CJ ENM to reimagine this twisted and darkly funny story.”
“I am thrilled to introduce the intriguing story rooted in Korean Cinema’s hidden gem, in collaboration with the ideal team of talent and producers, alongside the reliable studio,” producer Jerry Kyoungboum Ko said. “I expect that Yorgos will ignite a dynamic chemical fusion with his unique style and the novelty of the narrative.”
“Bugonia” will shoot later this year and should be ready for a 2025 release. It will mark Lanthimos and Stone’s fifth collaboration in a row following “The Favourite” (2018), the short “Bleat” (2022), “Poor Things” (2023), and “Kinds Of Kindness” (2024). It will also be Lanthimos’ third film released in about the span of fewer than 24 months, should it arrive before December 2025.
