The Making of ‘Bugonia’: Yorgos Lanthimos’ First Call? Emma Stone, of Course
The Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos took an unusual path for his latest film, collaborating with Succession writer Will Tracy to remake a Korean cult classic. However, his initial decision was familiar: reaching out to his frequent collaborator and muse, Emma Stone.
A New Direction in Lanthimos’ Career
When Lanthimos first read the script for Bugonia, he realized he was about to do something new. For the first time, he would direct a film he hadn't developed himself and engage with a story focused more explicitly on the current state of the world than his past, more abstract works.
“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.”
Emma Stone’s Immediate Involvement
Right after finishing the script, Lanthimos sent it to Emma Stone, who had starred in his previous three films. Stone quickly embraced the project.
“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.”
Unlike their past collaborations, which underwent lengthy development, Bugonia moved quickly from script to production.
Author's summary: Yorgos Lanthimos breaks new ground in directing by swiftly embracing a ready-made script for Bugonia, reuniting immediately with Emma Stone to explore a contemporary story.