Emma Stone is an abomination (compliment) in Yorgos Lanthimos’s follow-up film to The Favourite, called Poor Things. This adaptation of Alisdair Gray’s 1992 novel sees Lanthimos reuniting with The Favourite star Stone, who plays Belle Baxter, a drowned Victorian woman who is revived, Frankenstein style, by a mad-looking scientist played by Willem Dafoe. In the trailer, Dafoe’s scientist promises Ramy Youssef that this story is “a happy tale,” though we get the feeling something will go awry. The teaser shows us a number of surreal settings, including a castle, a ship, and a garden full of strange hybrid creatures. The cast is rounded out by Jerrod Carmichael and Mark Ruffalo, all in playful period attire. The way Ruffalo says “ow” is so weird and really seals the deal on this one. Although Poor Things was originally slated for a September 8 release, it will now hit screens on December 8, owing to the actors strike, after it premieres at Venice Film Festival.
The first teaser for Poor Things was released a month ago, on May 11, the same day as the trailer for a different Greek cinematic auteur’s reanimated corpse: the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise, which has been zapped back to life yet again by Nia Vardalos for a third film. The trailer shows the Portokalos clan going to Greece to visit the hometown of Toula’s late father, Gus, following the real-life passing of actor Michael Constantine in 2021. Lainie Kazan is conspicuously absent from the trailer, although her IMDb suggests that she’ll be in the film. Andrea Martin seems to be having plenty of fun, though, as does John Corbett. Between this coming out on September 8 and And Just Like That … this is kind of Corbett’s summer. Opa to that.
This post has been updated.