Lanthimos's Bugonia premieres at Venice ahead of US release

Yorgos Lanthimos premiered Bugonia, his English-language remake of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet, at the Venice International Film Festival on Thursday, and Focus Features said the film will reach U.S. theaters in a limited engagement on October 24 before opening wide on October 31. The offbeat science fiction black comedy reunites Lanthimos with frequent collaborator Emma Stone, and stars Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis as two conspiracy-obsessed men who kidnap Stone’s character, a high-powered CEO they believe is an alien plotting to destroy the planet.

The film follows the standoff that ensues after the abduction, pitting the captors and their convinced righteousness against the CEO, her would-be rescuers and investigators who may uncover a pattern of past killings. Stone plays Michelle, the chief executive at the center of the conspiracy, while Plemons and Delbis portray her captors. The supporting cast includes Alicia Silverstone, Stavros Halkias, Vanessa Eng, Marc T. Lewis and others. Focus Features released a full trailer ahead of the Venice premiere, and a poster campaign has begun in advance of the fall release.

Bugonia is directed by Lanthimos from a...