Someone finally picked up Ron Howard’s “Eden,” and it’s none other than Vertical Entertainment. Tough luck. I kinda hoped Netflix would acquire this film as it was practically guaranteed to get millions of eyeballs via their platform.
The film has this incredible cast, co-starring Sydney Sweeney, Jude Law, Ana de Armas, and Vanessa Kirby, but the best it could do was Vertical Entertainment? Hey, at least it’s getting released, but will be buried during the dogs days of late summer as Vertical has set up an August 22 release for the film.
“Eden” premiered seven months ago at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film went on to earn mixed reviews, but the story is the type of meaty and Survivor-like melodrama that would have been a hit with streaming audiences.
The reason why “Eden” wasn’t picked up for the longest time is because of its pricetag. The film is rumored to have a budget anywhere between $40-$50M and I’m now curious to find out exactly how much Vertical paid to acquire it.
“Eden,” which Vulture, quite astutely, claimed was proof that “Howard had lost his mind,” is an unusually dark film for the filmmaker, but a darkly made guilty pleasure at that.
The film is based on a true story, tackling a group of people fueled by a profound desire for change; They turn their back to society and leave everything behind by settling on the harsh landscape of the Galapagos. In “Eden,” set on a remote island, alliances get forged, sex partners get swapped, and over the top threats get dished out. Everybody hates everybody. Howard depicts the worst of humanity in “Eden,” which, at times, reminded me of an episode of “Survivor,” only set at the dawn on WWII.
“Eden” is driven by its talented actors; De Armas, a total scene stealer, might be best in show as the repulsive, manipulating and spoiled baroness who, with the help of her two male servants, attempts to take over the island.
The film comes only two years after Amazon/MGM dumped Howard’s well-received “Thirteen Lives" to streaming on Prime Video. Howard, who wowed Oscar voters with “Apollo 13,” “A Beautiful Mind,” and “Frost/Nixon,” hasn’t had a critical or commercial hit since 2013’s “Rush.” Has his stock crumbled?