First Set Images of Ari Aster's ‘Eddington'

Ari Aster’s “Eddington” is currently shooting in New Mexico and some set photos have leaked online. You can see them below this post.

The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone and Austin Butler. Also part of the cast are Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward and Clifton Collins Jr.

Rumored to be a neo-western that takes place during the pandemic, “Eddington” is being described as an “ensemble film.” The pandemic aspect of the plot is interesting given that Aster had written the film in 2019 and only inserted the setting in one of the last drafts of the script.

I have some more details on the plot. Phoenix plays Sherrif Joe, corrupt and cutting deals on the side, who has a frosty relationship with wife Louise (Stone). Joe also has a rivalry with the mayor of Eddington (Pedro Pascal) who might be sleeping with Louise. Micheal Ward is the young deputy that becomes the scapegoat for Sherrif Joe’s corrupt deeds.

More peculiarly, there are two supporting characters, Dawn (Deirdre O’Connell) and Paula who are described as being “deep into Q-Anon conspiracies” and active in the town’s politics. As you can see, Aster will indeed be tackling COVID politics in the film — one of the images below has a pandemic-affected store with a sign saying “closed until further notice by Dr. Fauci and the World Bank.”

Aster (“Hereditary” and “Midsommar”) is coming off last year’s polarizing “Beau is Afraid.” A24 has produced all three of his films, so far, and “Eddington” will be their fourth collaboration together.

A major plus is that two-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Darius Khondji will lens the film. He’s one of the best DPs in the biz with a filmography that includes “Se7en,” “Midnight in Paris” and “Uncut Gems.”