Emma Stone to Star in Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Poor Things’

Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos is producing and directing a new film titled “Poor Things”, starring Mark Ruffalo and Emma Stone.

Lanthimos has previous collaborated with Stone in his critically acclaimed movie “The Favourite”. In fact, Stone was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in Lanthimos’ movie. The period piece also featured Rachel Weisz and Olivia Colman.

The script for “Poor Things” is the work of Tony McNamara, Lanthimos’ previous co-writer on the “The Favourite”.

After rising to fame with his Greek-language film “Dogtooth”, Lanthimos has become a sought after filmmaker in the US and UK.

His previous movies, including “The Lobster” and “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” all feature a very unique and alternative style. Many critics point out that Lanthimos’ vision has also set the tone for a lot of Greek cinema in the past decade. The filmmaking movement has been termed the “Greek Weird Wave”.

The Story of “Poor Things”

Lanthimos’ new Frankenstein-like story “Poor Things” takes place in the Victorian era. Stone plays the protagonist, Belle Baxter, who has been brought back to life by an eccentric scientist.

“Poor Things” is based on a novel by Scottish author Alasdair Grey published in 1992. The movie also stars Willem Dafoe alongside Ruffalo and Stone.

The strange premise of the film seems like a great fit for Lanthimos’ filmmaking style. Stone, recently coming off the success of her star turn in Disney’s “Cruella”, has also been highly in demand in Hollywood.

Lanthimos’ Success With “The Favourite”

Topping the performance and reception of “The Favourite” will be difficult for the talented filmmaker. His last movie was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Directing, and Cinematography. Olivia Colman won the award for Best Actress, and Weisz and Stone were both nominated for Academy Awards for their roles as well.

More and more Greek filmmakers are starting to move into the international stage after the global success of Lanthimos.

Christos Nikou, who Greek Reporter interviewed about his debut feature film “Apples”, is now directing a movie with Carey Mulligan. Christopher Papakaliatis’ last Greek movie, “Worlds Apart”, had a US premiere and release.

As he has continued working in the US, Lanthimos has also moved into more mainstream productions. In 2020, he directed the Spring/Summer advertising campaign for Gucci.

However, he has not forgotten his indie or his Greek roots. That same year, he directed a short film in Athens featuring Stone, clearly one of his favorite collaborators. The film was intended for an art installation at the Stavros Niarchos Center, which unfortunately got derailed due to the pandemic.

“Poor Things” will likely hit theaters in 2022. The producers behind the project have also helped produced all of Lanthimos’ other English-language hits.