Is Emma Stone Highlighting Alarming Similarities Between ‘Bugonia’ and CEO Killer Luigi Mangione?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Emma Stone stars in the dark comedy ‘Bugonia’.
- Film parallels real-life incidents involving Luigi Mangione.
- Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos.
- Explores themes of corporate greed and delusion.
- Highlights chilling connections between fiction and reality.
Los Angeles, Aug 31 (NationPress) The acclaimed Hollywood star Emma Stone, soon to appear in the upcoming satirical absurdist science fiction dark comedy ‘Bugonia’, has identified some unsettling parallels between the infamous Mangione case and the film's central narrative.
‘Bugonia’, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, narrates the tale of a pharmaceutical executive (played by Emma) who is abducted by two young men. This film is an adaptation of the South Korean movie ‘Save the Green Planet’, as reported by Variety.
Emma noted that the storyline bears a frightening resemblance to the case of Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Emma Stone, recognized as Lanthimos’ most celebrated collaborator and a producer for the new project, disclosed on Saturday at the Telluride Film Festival that Thompson was fatally shot, and Mangione was arrested shortly after the film’s production concluded in 2024.
According to Variety, in ‘Bugonia’, Emma Stone portrays a heartless CEO of a powerful medical corporation who is taken hostage by a low-ranking employee (played by Jesse Plemons). The employee, convinced that Stone is an extraterrestrial from the Andromeda galaxy bent on destroying humanity, subjects his CEO to horrific torture.
“It’s surreal, because after we wrapped filming – I reside in New York – we learned that someone had been shot just up the street. It was a healthcare CEO. You guys heard about this?”, Emma Stone remarked during a Q&A session following the Telluride premiere.
The film premiered globally in the main competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 28, 2025, and is set for theatrical release in the United States by Focus Features on October 24, 2025.
“It was astonishing, as we had all been in a basement [filming] together discussing these issues and their broader implications. It continually strikes you that the world is fraught with deep, terrifying challenges,” she concluded.