Get ready to check your grip on reality, because the master of darkly hilarious absurdity, Yorgos Lanthimos, is back. Focus Features has officially announced that its new film, Bugonia, will hit theaters this fall, and the highly anticipated second trailer has just been released, confirming that this is going to be an intense, must-see ride.
Leave it to Lanthimos to deliver a premise that sounds like a fever dream. Written by the brilliant Will Tracy, Bugonia follows two young men who are absolutely obsessed with conspiracy theories. Their paranoia reaches peak levels when they become convinced that a powerful, high-flying CEO is actually an alien with a secret mission: to eradicate Earth.
So what’s the world-saving solution? They kidnap her. This sets off a wild, unpredictable chain of events that is sure to blend Lanthimos’s psychological drama with pitch-black comedy.
The cast is stacked with familiar faces from the Lanthimos universe. Leading the charge is Emma Stone, reuniting with the director after their Oscar-winning collaboration on Poor Things and their earlier work on The Favourite. Her role as the possibly-alien CEO is bound to be a highlight. She is joined by another Lanthimos veteran, Jesse Plemons (The Kindness of Strangers), alongside Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, and the iconic Alicia Silverstone.
Behind the scenes, the production team is equally impressive, featuring Lanthimos and Stone as producers, as well as horror master Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen from Square Peg.
If you’ve seen The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, or the wildly successful Poor Things, you know he doesn’t. He is renowned for his distinctive style that effortlessly blends dark comedy, uncomfortable moments, and deep psychological weirdness. Given the premise of Bugonia, we expect him to push those boundaries even further.
Focus Features is giving us the perfect Halloween gift. Bugonia will have a limited engagement on October 24, followed by its wide release on October 31. Get ready to question everything you think you know when Bugonia arrives!
