Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe to star in new movie from director of The Favorite

Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe are both in talks to star in Yorgos Lanthimos' next movie, Poor Things, according to Deadline.

Poor Things will be set in the Victorian era, telling the story of Belle Baxter (Stone), a young woman who's brought back to life by an eccentric scientist – and, knowing Lanthimos' movies, there'll be plenty of black humor and surreal elements, too. Dafoe's role hasn't been confirmed yet. 

Lanthimos is best known for his period comedy The Favorite, starring Stone, Olivia Colman in an Oscar-winning turn as Queen Anne of England, and Rachel Weisz as the courtiers vying for her attention. He also directed The Killing of a Sacred Deer and The Lobster, both starring Colin Farrell. 

Poor Things is based on the satirical novel by Alasdair Gray, and The Great showrunner and The Favorite screenwriter Tony McNamara will adapt the script. He also penned the screenplay for the upcoming Disney villain origin story Cruella, with Stone playing the title role.

We can next see Dafoe in Wes Anderson's next movie, The French Dispatch – the actor is a frequent collaborator of Anderson's, and has also starred in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. He also recently re-teamed with The Lighthouse director Robert Eggers for his upcoming historical thriller The Northman, and he has a role in Guillermo del Toro's next movie, Nightmare Alley, too. Meanwhile, Stone can be next seen in Cruella, set for release on May 28.   

While we wait for Poor Things to hit the big screen, make sure you've caught up with all the best movies of 2020.