Bugonia (2025): Lanthimos’ Dark Comedy on Netflix
Bugonia arrives on Netflix on April 26, 2026, reuniting director Yorgos Lanthimos with Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. This remake of the cult classic Save the Green Planet! follows two conspiracy theorists who kidnap a pharmaceutical CEO, convinced she is an alien. Blending surreal horror with sharp social satire, it offers a polarizing yet masterful exploration of paranoia.
Bugonia (2025): Film at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
| Director | Yorgos Lanthimos |
| Writer | Will Tracy — based on Save the Green Planet! (2003, South Korea) |
| Stars | Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Alicia Silverstone |
| Runtime | 120 minutes | Rating: R |
| Theatrical | October 24, 2025 — Focus Features |
| Netflix | April 26, 2026 |
| Budget | $45–55 million |
| Global Gross | $43.5 million ($17.7M US + $25.8M international) |
| Rotten Tomatoes | 87% — 334 critics | IMDb: 7.4/10 |
| Oscar Nominations | Best Picture · Best Actress (Stone) · Best Actor (Plemons) · Best Adapted Screenplay |
| Premiere | August 28, 2025 — 82nd Venice International Film Festival |
| Cinematographer | Robbie Ryan — 8-perf 35mm VistaVision |
| Composer | Jerskin Fendrix (also known as Joscelin Dent-Pooley) |
| Producer | Ari Aster — Hereditary, Midsommar |
What Bugonia Is About
Bugonia, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, is a sci-fi comedy based on the South Korean film Save the Green Planet!. The plot follows two conspiracy-obsessed men who kidnap a high-powered corporate executive, convinced she is an alien plotting to destroy Earth. Starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, the film explores themes of obsession and paranoia through a surreal, darkly humorous lens.
You spend 120 minutes unable to decide which of these two characters you should fear more. That sustained uncertainty is what separates Bugonia from a straightforward conspiracy film.
Bugonia Cast and Performances
| Actor | Character | Known For |
| Emma Stone | Michelle Fuller, CEO of Auxolith | Oscar winner 2024 Poor Things · 2017 La La Land |
| Jesse Plemons | Teddy Gatz, beekeeper | The Power of the Dog · El Camino |
| Aidan Delbis | Don, Teddy’s autistic cousin | Breakout role — emotional anchor of the film |
| Alicia Silverstone | Sandy Gatz, Teddy’s comatose mother | Clueless · The Killing of a Sacred Deer |
| Stavros Halkias | Deputy Sheriff Casey Boyd | Stand-up comedian — comic relief |
Emma Stone delivers a cold, precise performance as Michelle, earning her fourth Oscar nomination. Critics compare her monochrome scenes to classic silent cinema. Jesse Plemons and breakout actor Aidan Delbis provide the film’s emotional depth, securing multiple Academy Award nods.
Director Yorgos Lanthimos and Writer Will Tracy
Director Yorgos Lanthimos and writer Will Tracy represent a unique creative pairing in contemporary cinema. Tracy, known for The Menu and Succession, brings a sharp, satirical edge to Lanthimos’s signature surrealism. Their collaboration focuses on high-concept narratives that challenge traditional genre boundaries, emphasizing dark wit and social critique.
Where Bugonia Was Filmed
Bugonia (2025) was primarily filmed across the United Kingdom, the United States, and Greece. Key locations included High Wycombe and Oxshott in England, and Atlanta, Georgia. The finale was famously shot at Sarakiniko Beach on Milos Island after production was denied access to the Acropolis.
How Bugonia Compares to Other Lanthimos Films
| Film | Year | RT | How It Compares |
| The Favourite | 2018 | 94% | Lanthimos’s top-rated film — same cold power play |
| Poor Things | 2023 | 91% | Same director and star — Bugonia is more satirical |
| The Menu | 2022 | 88% | Will Tracy wrote both — class satire, confined space |
| The Lobster | 2015 | 88% | Formally radical — Bugonia is more accessible |
| Kinds of Kindness | 2024 | 69% | Weakest Stone-Lanthimos entry — Bugonia steps up |
Bugonia holds an 87% Rotten Tomatoes score, ranking third in Yorgos Lanthimos’s filmography. Following its 2025 Venice premiere, the sci-fi comedy sits behind The Favourite (94%) and Poor Things (91%) in critical standing.
Is Bugonia Worth Watching on Netflix?
Yes. Bugonia premieres on Netflix on April 26, 2026. This Yorgos Lanthimos thriller features Emma Stone as a CEO suspected of being a disguised alien.
Watch it if you are engaged with Poor Things or The Menu. Skip it if you need a warm ending or a sympathetic resolution.
Stream Bugonia on Netflix from April 26, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bugonia about on Netflix?
Beekeeper Teddy Gatz kidnaps pharma CEO Michelle Fuller, convinced she is an Andromedan alien, and has 3 days before a lunar eclipse to force her confession.
Is Bugonia worth watching?
Yes — 4 out of 5 stars, 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 4 Oscar nominations including Best Picture make it one of the strongest films now on streaming.
Is Bugonia a remake?
Yes, it’s an English-language remake of Save the Green Planet!, a 2003 South Korean film by Jang Joon-hwan, with Ari Aster producing and Will Tracy writing a largely original screenplay.
Where was Bugonia filmed?
Oxshott and Slough in England, Arborfield Studios in Berkshire, Atlanta in Georgia, and the final sequence at Sarakiniko Beach on the Greek island of Milos in May 2025.
What does the title Bugonia mean?
Bugonia names an ancient ritual from Virgil’s Georgics (29 BC) in which bees emerge from a sacrificed cow — a metaphor for new life growing from total destruction.
What happens at the end of Bugonia?
Teddy is correct: Michelle confirms she is Andromedan, triggers a global extinction, and the final sequence connects the aliens to every mass extinction in Earth’s history.
Who produced Bugonia?
Ari Aster, director of Hereditary and Midsommar, produced Bugonia and pushed the decision to gender-swap the kidnap victim, creating the Michelle Fuller character played by Stone.
Final Thought
Bugonia reaches Netflix on April 26, 2026 as one of the most debated films of the past year. Teddy Gatz is wrong about aliens. He is not wrong about the pharmaceutical company, the failed drug trial, or the system that left his mother in a coma with no explanation and no one to blame.
That is what the film is actually about. The Andromedans are just the shape grief takes when the truth is too formless to fight.
By the time Bugonia ends, you will not be certain whether you watched a horror film about corporate power or a tragedy about a man who needed a monster. Lanthimos designed that uncertainty. That is the whole point..
