Ari Aster (“Hereditary” and “Midsommar”) is coming off 2023’s polarizing “Beau is Afraid.” A24 has produced all four of his films, including the upcoming “Eddington.”
Speaking of “Eddington,” it’s now eyeing a Cannes debut and summer release, according to Variety. Whether Cannes actually accepts the film is a whole other question. It will apparently be submitted to the selection committee, so we’ll see what happens there.
A24 will also be bringing Eddington to the EFM Berlin Film Market this month where it will be looking for international buyers. Aster’s last film (“Beau is Afraid”) polarized critics and audiences by earning just $12M worldwide against a $35M budget.
“Eddington” 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. The film wrapped production last summer in New Mexico.
I’ve read the script for “Eddington” which is a pandemic-set western with loads of 2020 politics. In fact, a lot of the script is driven by divisive Red vs Blue dialogue. “Eddington” has been described as an “ensemble film,” and it sort of is that, but the film is really about the rivalry between Sheriff Joe Cross (Phoenix) and local mayor Ted Garcia (Pascal). Sparks fly when Joe decides to run for mayor of Eddington after he refuses to wear a face mask at the local grocery store. Ted isn’t happy as he was led to believe he’d be running unopposed (“I got this gringo pig runnin’ against me”).
The script has a slew of references to Hilary Clinton, Anthony Fauci, mask mandates, George Floyd and Donald Trump. Also, Tucker Carlson’s show seems to be playing in the background in a few scenes. The film is also very violent. I won’t give away anything here, and I’ve only given you the bare minimum in terms of plot, but almost no character is safe in Aster’s story.
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.”
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.