Emma Stone & Yorgos Lanthimos’ Sci-Fi Comedy ‘Bugonia’ Sets Release Date

so far. Ever since the 2018 film The Favourite, which also starred Olivia Colman and Rachel Weisz, Lanthimos has featured Stone in a significant role in every movie he has made since. One of their more recent collaborations earned Stone an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in 2023’s Poor Things, with the movie also receiving critical acclaim and numerous other award nominations. Now, the next intriguing collaboration from Lanthimos and Stone has finally set a release date.

In a press release from Focus Features, the production company announced that Bugonia, the next film from Yorgos Lanthimos, will have a special engagement in theaters on October 24, followed by a wide release on October 31. The announcement also came with the news that Bugonia was filmed in VistaVision, the same format used for Brady Corbet’s 2024 film, The Brutalist, and the upcoming Paul Thomas Anderson film, One Battle After Another starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The special engagements in New York and Los Angeles will likely present special film prints of Bugonia, as opposed to the digital screenings done everywhere else.

The movie features an impressive cast, including Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delis, Stavros Halkias, and Alicia Silverstone. With a release date now set, the turnaround time for Lanthimos between films in the past two years has been impressive. Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness were released within less than a year of each other, an indication of how hard at work both Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone have been over the past few years.

‘Bugonia’ Is Now Set for a Halloween Release

Bugonia also features an interesting premise, which could prove perfect for audiences looking for something during spooky season. The official synopsis of the movie reads, “Two conspiracy-obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced she is an alien intent on destroying Planet Earth.” Emma Stone has already been confirmed to be playing the CEO who is the target of the kidnapping, while Plemons has been cast as Teddy, one of the conspiracy theorists. The roles of the other confirmed cast members haven’t been revealed yet, but it will be interesting to see what roles Alicia Silverstone and Aidan Delis end up playing in the film.

Lanthimos has always had a unique vision as a filmmaker, using his eccentric style to tell high-concept stories that speak to the greater human condition. Whether it was his A24 hit The Lobster or the Awards darling Poor Things, Lanthimos has always managed to make his films more interesting than the last. While his latest work, Kinds of Kindness, wasn’t as well-received by audiences as his other films, the anthology feature managed to tell a captivating set of stories that each had a distinct message about societal roles and expectations along with what “kindness” really is.

The premise of Bugonia has the makings of another Lanthimos classic, especially in how the filmmaker blends genres. In addition to all of his social commentary and themes, there are instances of offbeat humor that works surprisingly well. The kidnapping and conspiracy angle of Buognia is ripe for the director’s style, especially since the movie is written by Will Tracy, who most recently has had writing credits on the film The Menu and the hit HBO series Succession. Bugonia’s Halloween wide-release suggests the film has some twisted aspects to it, something to get both general audiences and hardcore Lanthimos enthusiasts alike interested in the project.

Bugonia

Release Date

November 7, 2025

Writers

Will Tracy