‘Poor Things’ teaser trailer: Willem Dafoe resurrects Emma Stone in Yorgos Lanthimos’ next feature

Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Mark Ruffalo in stills from ‘Poor Things’
| Photo Credit: Searchlight Pictures

The teaser of filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos’ ( The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer) upcoming feature Poor Things was released by Searchlight Pictures today. Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael, and Christopher Abbott headline the film.

The movie is based on Scottish writer Alasdair Gray’s 1992 Frankenstein-esque novel of the same name, a Victorian tale of love, discovery and scientific daring. It follows Belle Baxter, a young woman (Stone) who is brought back to life by an eccentric but brilliant scientist.

In the short teaser, however, it doesn’t seem like the Victorian era but more like an alternate world that has come alive through Lanthimos’ much-revered, fascinating imagination. We see glimpses of how Willem Dafoe’s character, the scientist, brings Belle back to life. Poor Things also features Ruffalo as Duncan Wedderburn, Carmichael as Harry Astley, Youssef as Max McCandless, and Abbott as Sir Aubrey de la Pole Blessington. Margaret Qualley, Kathryn Hunter, Suzy Bemba and Wayne Brett are also part of the cast.

Tony McNamara, who worked with Lanthimos on The Favourite, has adapted the script. Stone will produce the project along with Lanthimos and Element Pictures’ Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe.