The trailer for Bugonia reveals a brand-new look for star Emma Stone. The movie marks the two-time Oscar-winning actor’s fourth collaboration with director Yorgos Lanthimos after 2018’s The Favourite, 2023’s Poor Things (which earned her second Oscar win after La La Land), and 2024’s Kinds of Kindness.
The Emma Stone movie, which also stars Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, and Alicia Silverstone, follows MIchelle Fuller (Stone), a CEO who is kidnapped by conspiracy theorists who think that she is secretly an alien. The movie is set to debut in domestic theaters on October 24.
Focus Features has now unveiled the first full official trailer for Bugonia, on the same day that the movie has its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival. The trailer kicks off by introducing Michelle to the strains of “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan, followed by scenes introducing the conspiracy theorists played by Plemons and Delbis.
Although she fights back when they kidnap her, they eventually succeed, and she wakes up in an unknown location with her head shaved, only to be told that “your hair has been destroyed to prevent you from contacting your ship.”
What follows is a series of clips from moments where she tries to convince her captors to let her go, and they attempt to prevent their crime from being discovered. Watch the trailer below:
What This Means For Bugonia
Taking on a more extreme hairstyle for a role can be a big move for an actor like Emma Stone, whose dyed red hair is an iconic look that she has had across multiple characters in movies including Easy A, Zombieland, and La La Land.
Emma Stone’s natural hair color is blonde, but it was dyed red for several early roles that helped cement her status as a major star, notably the 2007 comedy Superbad.
However, the Bugonia trailer shows that her hairstyle is far from the biggest risk that she is taking with her new movie. It seems that her character’s psychological battle with her captors will take both her and Plemons to extremes, as showcased in the scene where he bounds across the table to lunge at her.
Our Take On The Bugonia Trailer
Not every one of Emma Stone’s Yorgos Lanthimos movies has earned her an Oscar nomination or win, but three of her five Oscar nominations have come from her collaborations with the director. It stands to reason that Bugonia could earn her yet another nomination from the Academy, especially because the movie is receiving an Oscars-friendly release during awards season.
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Emma Stone’s Collaborations with Yorgos Lanthimos |
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тιтle |
Oscar Nominations |
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The Favourite (2018) |
Best Supporting Actresss |
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Poor Things (2023) |
Best Actress (Won), Best Picture |
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Kinds of Kindness (2024) |
N/A |
This new Bugonia trailer displays exactly how that can happen. In addition to showcasing her range as a performer, the movie tackles topical themes including online conspiracy theories and distrust of pharmaceutical companies. This could potentially make it an awards favorite in the 2025-2026 season.
