The Making of ‘Bugonia’: Yorgos Lanthimos’ First Call? Emma Stone, of Course
The Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos took a fresh path with his latest film, collaborating with Succession writer Will Tracy to remake a Korean cult classic. However, his initial step was familiar: reaching out to his frequent muse.
When Lanthimos first read the script that became Bugonia, he immediately realized he was about to try two new things in his distinguished career. He would direct a film he hadn’t developed himself and focus on a story more rooted in the current state of the world than his usual abstract style.
“Up until this point, I’d read scripts, but I’ve never been so excited immediately afterward that I would say, ‘This is almost ready for me to make just as it is,’” Lanthimos recalls. “To be handed something that was already so great was a tremendous gift.”
Right after finishing the script, Lanthimos sent it to Emma Stone, his unofficial muse and lead in his previous three films.
“I read it that same day, and from then on, we were like, let’s do this,” Stone says. “It was really crazy for me because ever since The Favourite, I’ve seen the projects we’ve done together in very different states of being, where they take years to develop. This was the first time we received a script and were like, ‘Whoa, let’s go make this right away,’ and it basically doesn’t require any process.”
This rapid excitement and readiness marked a unique chapter in their collaborative work.
Author’s summary: Lanthimos embraced new creative challenges for Bugonia, swiftly partnering with Emma Stone on a script that felt instantly ready to bring to life, marking a rare direct engagement with current themes.