The Making of ‘Bugonia’: Yorgos Lanthimos’ First Call? Emma Stone, of Course.
The Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos took a fresh approach for his latest film, collaborating with Succession writer Will Tracy to remake a Korean cult classic. Yet, his initial move was familiar: reaching out to his frequent collaborator.
When Lanthimos first read the script for Bugonia, he realized he was embarking on two new challenges in his distinguished career. He would direct a film he had not helped develop and focus on a story more rooted in the current state of the world than his earlier 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.”
Moments after finishing the script, Lanthimos shared it with his unofficial muse and lead actress of his previous three films, Emma Stone.
“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.”
The collaboration on Bugonia marked a swift and enthusiastic commitment, unlike the lengthy development periods of their prior projects.
Author's summary: Yorgos Lanthimos embraced a novel, timely story with Bugonia, quickly enlisting Emma Stone to star in a swift, energized production journey unlike their past collaborations.