Bugonia is a 2025 absurdist black comedy film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. It is an English-language remake of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet! by Jang Joon-hwan. A co-production of Ireland, South Korea, and the United States, the film stars Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, and Alicia Silverstone. It follows two young men who kidnap a powerful CEO, suspecting that she is secretly an alien who wants to destroy Earth. Development on the film began as early as 2020, with Jang attached to direct and Tracy adapting the screenplay. Ari Aster came on board as producer soon after, and by February 2024, Lanthimos was hired to direct, replacing Jang, while Stone joined the project both as an actress and producer. Plemons joined the cast that May, and it was soon acquired by Focus Features for distribution at the Cannes Film Festival. Principal photography began in July in High Wycombe, England, and Atlanta, Georgia, and during which time, the rest of the cast was announced. Additional filming took place in May 2025 in Milos, Greece. Bugonia had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 28, 2025, and is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States by Focus Features on October 24, 2025. == Synopsis == Two conspiracy-obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth. == Cast == Emma Stone as Michelle Fuller, the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company Jesse Plemons as Teddy Gatz, a conspiracist beekeeper Aidan Delbis as Don, a conspiracist and Teddy's cousin Stavros Halkias as Casey, a local police officer Alicia Silverstone as Sandy Gatz, Teddy's mother == Production == Development of an English-language remake of the South Korean film Save the Green Planet! by Jang Joon-hwan began in 2020 with Will Tracy adapting the screenplay, and Jang attached to direct the remake. Ari Aster was signed on to produce and was instrumental in the hiring of Tracy and the decision to gender swap the central character from a man to a woman. In February 2024, it was revealed that Yorgos Lanthimos would be directing the remake in place of Jang, with Element Pictures joining the production team. Emma Stone was also in talks to star in the film, making it her fourth collaboration with Lanthimos. Jesse Plemons officially joined the cast by the time it was retitled Bugonia and taken to the Cannes Film Market in May. In October, Alicia Silverstone joined the cast. In May 2025, it was revealed that Aidan Delbis and Stavros Halkias were cast as well. Jerskin Fendrix composed the film's score, performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra. This marks his third collaboration with Lanthimos after Poor Things (2023) and Kinds of Kindness (2024). According to sound designer Johnnie Burn, Fendrix was asked by Lanthimos to write the score based on four key words. He did not provide him with the script or any other footage until after hearing the score. === Filming === Principal photography began in July 2024 in High Wycombe, England. Filming also took place in Atlanta, Georgia, where it wrapped there in October. Irish cinematographer Robbie Ryan shot the project on 8-perf 35mm film with VistaVision cameras, marking his fourth collaboration with Lanthimos. The director wanted the ending scenes of Bugonia to be filmed in the Acropolis of Athens, but the Central Archaeological Council of Greece rejected his request. The Sarakiniko Beach in the Greek island of Milos was chosen as the alternative location, with filming taking place in May 2025. == Analysis == === Title === "Βουγονία/Bugonia" is a Greek word, spelled "bougonia", which refers to an ancient Mediterranean ritual or belief that bees spontaneously generate from the carcasses of dead animals, particularly oxen. == Release == Bugonia premiered at the Venice International Film Festival on August 28, 2025. Through September and October 2025, the film has screened or will screen at the Telluride Film Festival; the Deauville American Film Festival; the Miskolc International Film Festival; the San Sebastián International Film Festival; the Busan International Film Festival; the Fantastic Fest; Hamburg Film Festival; Tribeca Festival Lisboa; the Morelia International Film Festival; the São Paulo International Film Festival; the Zurich Film Festival; the Sitges Film Festival; the Mill Valley Film Festival; the Hamptons International Film Festival; the Woodstock Film Festival; the Montclair Film Festival; the Chicago International Film Festival; the Ghent International Film Festival; the Bogotá International Film Festival; the Istanbul International Film Festival; the AFI Fest; the Bath Film Festival; the Adelaide Film Festival; the Philadelphia Film Festival; the SCAD Savannah Film Festival; the Middleburg Film Festival; the Roche-sur-Yon International Film Festival; the BFI London Film Festival; Cambridge Film Festival; Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival; Beyond Fest; and at the inaugural Focus Fest for Focus Features. Focus Features acquired the film's worldwide rights outside South Korea, which CJ ENM Films & Television retained, to the project at the Marché du Film in May 2024, with its parent Universal Pictures handling international distribution on its behalf. The film is scheduled to have a limited release in the United States on October 24, 2025, before a wide release on October 31, 2025. It was previously scheduled to be released on November 7, 2025. It will be released in Ireland by Universal Pictures on October 31, 2025 and in South Korea by CJ ENM on November 5, 2025. == Reception == === Critical response === On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 71 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons are at the top of their game in Bugonia, a bonkers entertainment that applies director Yorgos Lanthimos' whip-smart method to modern society's madness." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 72 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. === Accolades === == Notes == == References == == External links == Official website Bugonia at IMDb