Screenwriter Will Tracy recalls a pivotal lunch in 2019 when Ari Aster, known for Midsommar, introduced him to a little-known 2003 South Korean film, Save the Green Planet!, about a conspiracy theorist convinced his CEO is an alien. Although Tracy had not seen the original movie, this introduction planted the seed for what would become Bugonia, a film entwined with the Ari Aster Bugonia conspiracy as its central theme.
Tracy explains that Aster shared a low-quality video link of the film, sparking immediate interest for the writer, who was then newly a part of HBO’s Succession writers’ room. Tracy found the premise hauntingly relevant for current times. He remarks,
“There is something in this premise that these filmmakers in Korea in 2003 could not have foreseen that is quite eerily well-suited to our current climate, and our cultural political moment.”
A Modern Adaptation Reflecting Today’s Unrest
Bugonia centers on two men from disparate social backgrounds who believe they are communicating with someone extraterrestrial. By the time the film, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, was completed, it felt uncannily like a depiction of contemporary societal tensions.
Although based on the South Korean film, Tracy only once rewatched the original years prior, relying mostly on his own vision shaped during the early pandemic. His first draft was written in a compressed, intense period in spring 2020 while confined to a Brooklyn studio apartment with his wife and newborn, a time marked by isolation and uncertainty that deeply influenced the film’s tone.
Discussing Bugonia’s continuing relevance, Tracy says,
“The film has become more relevant, my theory being because we’re all still living downstream of those months. We’re all kind of still in those months, feeling the anger and confusion and destabilization of those months, and the lack of trust in each other. Everyone’s inventing their own story because maybe they don’t feel they can trust the official story. Reality is sort of up for grabs.”
Character Dynamics and Deviations from the Original
At the center are Teddy (played by Plemons), a deeply unhappy and self-imposed celibate loner, and his neurodivergent cousin Don (Aidan Delbis). Teddy persuades Don that Michelle (Stone), a powerful pharma CEO, is an alien they must abduct and interrogate to reveal her secrets. Unlike the 2003 film, where the protagonist is aided by a naïve girlfriend and targets a male CEO, Bugonia introduces a cousin partnership and targets a female executive.
The film further explores Teddy’s attempt to chemically suppress his libido in order to avoid distraction by Michelle, flipping the typical narrative associated with isolated men. On this, Tracy remarks with dry humor,
“He literally chemically castrates himself, so I guess he’s technically the opposite of an incel, right?”
Tracy acknowledges this theme intentionally touches cultural fault lines emerging since 2020. He elaborates,
“He feels like he’s part of the thing people write trend pieces about now, the epidemic of the lonely American male. And in some ways he is that, and it’s hard to argue that he’s not. But in other ways, I wanted to make him quite smart and self-aware about the fact that think pieces like that are being written. I think when [Stone’s character] tries to pin him down and say, ‘Well, you know, I think you’re in an echo chamber,’ he’s ready for that argument. He’s heard that bullshit. He’s read all the think pieces and he’s cast around looking for a way to describe himself, and he’s cast about looking for an identity or a movement to join, or a political project to advocate.”
Defying Stereotypes Around Conspiracy Theorists
Tracy aimed to challenge common portrayals of conspiracy theorists by making Teddy neither crazy nor foolish. He explains,
“I wanted to make this particular conspiracy theorist not crazy, not stupid,”
highlighting the film’s critical look at how conspiracy theories have been manipulated by powerful interests, including political figures. This nuance is key to understanding both the film and the cultural moment it depicts.
Michelle’s Character and Corporate Facade
Tracy’s time writing for Succession gave him insight into meticulously crafted PR and polished public images, which informed Michelle’s character as a corporate CEO. He contrasts her with the media empire characters from Succession:
“I guess what makes it different with her is what you might uncharitably or reductively call her frictionless smooth corporate-speak has a little bit more of a centrist, woke liberal optics to it, which is not the Murdochs, and not the Roys. She has a little bit more of that sheen, and framed pictures of her with David Geffen and Michelle Obama. So she’s coming from a little bit different part of the culture than the Roys. But there’s a little bit of a bullshit to that veneer too. You sense that maybe her political engagement, or even her openness to ideas—I think quite valid ideas about diversity and so forth—that she’s kind of going through the motions. She’s jumping through the hoops a bit.”
The Writing and Directorial Collaboration
Unlike director Yorgos Lanthimos’s usual lengthy screenplay evolution with collaborators like Tony McNamara on The Favourite and Poor Things, the Bugonia script was nearly complete before Lanthimos joined. Tracy was unsure if the project would ever move forward, with Ari Aster casually mentioning he might step in to direct if necessary. However, Aster remained producer while Lanthimos embraced the unique vision as a chance for creative departure.
Tracy recalls,
“He gave me some great actionable notes, but it was like a few days’ work. It wasn’t like a lot of stuff. The only thing that changed really was in terms of Emma’s character. Once she came on, I think I’d originally written the script in that the character would be more like mid 50s, closer to 60 in age.”
This shift made the character, originally inspired by Mary Barra, a younger CEO common in biomedical and tech fields, more believable and allowed Stone’s performance to bring depth to Michelle’s imposing nature.
Regarding changes prompted by casting, Tracy reflects,
“I was kind of ready for ‘the actor’s pass,’ that there would be all these changes I’d have to make for the movie star, but that’s not her style, man. She’s just great. She didn’t want to do that. She trusts the script and she trusts Yorgos.”
The Film’s Aim and Release
For Tracy, Bugonia’s purpose extends beyond a single interpretation or emotional takeaway. He hopes it inspires genuine discussion among viewers. As he puts it,
“I don’t want people walking away with any one interpretation of the theme, or to feel either too bummed out or too joyous or whatever. I just want people to leave and feel like, ‘Oh, we can get a drink afterwards, have dinner afterwards, and there’s actually a conversation to be had because of the movie.’”
Bugonia begins limited release on October 24 and expands nationwide on October 31, inviting audiences to engage with its tense and unsettling exploration of modern alienation and conspiracy.
