Yorgos Lanthimos Set to Direct Assassin Thriller ‘Fatale'

With “Bugonia” set for release this year, and his adaptation of “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” still in the works, Yorgos Lanthimos has one other project that might be brewing in the works.

The Film Stage is reporting that Lanthimos will write and direct “Fatale,” an adaptation of Jean-Patrick Manchette’s short novel. No casting details have surfaced, but the lead role literally spells for, Lanthimos regular, Emma Stone to take part.

“Fatale” follows a woman named Aimée Joubert, who is a professional assassin. She is cold, calculating, and emotionally detached, using her beauty and allure as tools to manipulate and eliminate her targets. As her existential story unfolds, Aimée’s life begins to unravel.

Lanthimos has been very busy of late. His much-praised “Poor Things” won Emma Stone another Oscar in 2023. Last year, he released “Kind of Kindness,” also starring Stone, which won Jesse Plemons the best actor award at Cannes, but was less well-met by critics (I dug it).

Stone has appeared in Lanthimos’ last five films, if we include his short “Bleat,” and there’s no question that they are very keen in working together again. As more information starts to leak out about “Fatale,” don’t be surprised if Stone’s name eventually appears on the casting sheet.

To say that Lanthimos was inspired by the iconoclasm of Bunuel's work would be an understatement. You can see it all over his work. However, the moralist approach that Bunuel had in his pictures isn’t as present in Lanthimos' cinema. Instead, a Kubrickian detachment, a total dis-empathy towards character, is what the Greek auteur consistently aims for.

You can see Lanthimos’ cinematic DNA in his very best films, and they include “Dogtooth,” “The Favorite,” and “The Lobster.” It should be noted that cinematographer Robbie Ryan has lensed Lanthimos’ last four films which have now ingrained a deeply persistent visual style — including consistent usage of fisheye lenses & fluid, roving camera.