A new image from Yorgos Lanthimos' upcoming film Poor Things has been released, giving audiences a first look at Margaret Qualley's character Felicity. The film, a re-imagining of the Frankenstein story, is set to hit theaters later this year, an adaption of the 1992 novel of the same name. Poor Things is the latest feature-length directorial effort from Lanthimos, following his much-acclaimed film The Favorite, which earned the director two Oscar nominations and won Olivia Colman her first.
Joining Qualley in the cast of Poor Things are Willem Defoe and Emma Stone, the latter of which reunites with Lanthimos following The Favorite, having also bagged an Oscar nomination for the film, in the Best Supporting Actress category. The cast clearly have a good working relationship with the director, as the triad are both set to join Lanthimos for another upcoming film of his, And, which will take form as an anthology of short stories. Also set to appear in Poor Things are Mark Ruffalo (who appears as lawyer Duncan Wedderbum), Christopher Abbott (who plays Sir Aubrey de la Pole Blessington), as well as comedians Ramy Youssef (playing Max McCandless) and Jarod Carmichael (appearing as Harry Astley). Kathryn Hunter also stars in the film as Swiney.
While the actor confessed to Deadline that she only has "a real tiny, little part" in the film, Qualley expressed that she is "the most massive fan of Yorgos,” continuing to say, “I think he’s just the most brilliant filmmaker.” While details regarding the specifics of Qualley's character in Poor Things remain few, the new image showcases the bleak yet striking visual style Lanthimos has become synonymous with. However, the teaser trailer for the film, which was released earlier this month, revealed the film will take on a more surreal style than the director's previous works. While Lanthimos' films are known for their bizarre and oft unsettling subject matter, Poor Things appears to boast visuals that more closely match such surreal content – highly stylized in a way one may more expect from the likes of Wes Anderson than Lanthimos.
The Plot of Poor Things is Classic Lanthimos
Poor Things was filmed back in 2021, having been shot in Hungary. Its script was written by Tony McNamara (who previously worked with Lanthimos on The Favorite), with a plot which will see Stone, who appears in the film as Bella Baxter, find herself resurrected from the dead by mad scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter, who replaces her brain replaced with that on an infant's. With a story that is set to explore themes of mortality and identity, Poor Things is sure to fit right in with the rest of Lanthimos' growing filmography.
You can check out the new image of Qualley in Poor Things and the film's teaser trailer below:
