Cast, story details and everything we know about the Ari Aster-Joaquin Phoenix film

From compelling human drama to nightmare-inducing scares, A24 has set the standard for filmmaking over the past decade and looks to continue its prestige with its next film, Eddington. The acclaimed film production and distribution company is responsible for launching the careers of many emerging filmmakers, including horror director Ari Aster. Aster’s first two films for A24 were Hereditary (2018) and Summer solstice (2019), both pure horror. But his third feature, Beau is scared (2023), saw the director branch out and play with surrealism and dark comedy.

Although many details have been kept secret, Eddington will be a black western comedy and Aster’s first completely non-horror film. This genre is not only new territory for Aster, but also for A24, as the company has produced very few Westerns, the last being First Cow in 2020, and even that was more drama. But together with its talented director, Eddington it also boasts an all-star cast full of award-winning talent and is already shaping up to be unmissable.

Latest news from Eddington

Austin Butler shares his experience

The rising star of Elvis and Dune: Part Two, Austin Butler is a confirmed member of Eddingtoncast. Butler shared his thoughts on working on Edison in June 2024, saying:

“I don’t want to give too much away as far as the story and character go, but it was a wild adventure that I was able to go on. I got to play a character that is very different from anything I’ve ever done.”

Considering that Butler has taken on several unique roles during his career, this news only adds to the excitement for the film and Butler’s performance. The actor also stated that he “loved” working with Ari Aster and the rest of the team, including co-stars Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone and director of photography Darius Khondji.

Eddington is confirmed

A24 confirmed the film on its Instagram page in March 2024

Eddington was confirmed by sites like Indiewire, Vulture, and Reel World. In March 2024, Vulture called the film a contemporary Western and said the plot was about “a small-town New Mexico sheriff with higher aspirations.”

Also in March, A24 posted a photo on its Instagram showing a list of movies with the Eddington title in the middle of a desert landscape. The post reads “Welcome to EDDINGTON,” along with a list of confirmed cast members and the words “shortly.”

The project began filming in New Mexico in March. The website for Serra County posted the news about the filming of the film in the city of Truth or Consequences, which included photos of the defined locations. Filming ended in May 2024 (via Production list).

Eddington Cast

Emma Stone was one of the first actresses announced

The first cast announcement for Eddington came in 2023, with Emma Stone and Christopher Abbott attached to star in what was a then-untitled Ari Aster film (via The Cinema Stage). It appears that Abbott has left the project, but in March 2024, a much larger cast list was announced and includes Stone, Pedro Pascal, Joaquin Phoenix, Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Clifton Collins Jr., William Bellau, Cameron Mann, Matt Gomez Hidaka and Amélie Hoeferle (via Deadline).

There is little information about the characters played by this star-studded cast, but Reel World reports that Phoenix will play Sheriff Joe Cross alongside Pascal Mayor Ted Garcia, and that the two share a rivalry. There are also hints that the plot revolves around a couple trapped in the city, but no official confirmation of who is playing these roles. If this rumor is true, Stone and Butler are the most likely candidates.

Eddington Story Details

Reports say the film revolves around a New Mexico sheriff

Details of the plot and story of Eddington have been slowly filling up more and more. Initially, director Ari Aster hinted that the film was a “western-noir dark comedy” during an AMA at the Reddit. Since then, Reel World The film was initially rumored to revolve around a couple who run out of gas and are warmly welcomed by the town’s citizens, only for things to turn sinister “as dusk arrives.”

However, in June 2024, the site released more details, saying that the film is set during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the main character is “a small-town New Mexico sheriff with bigger aspirations.” Specifically, Reel World reported that the sheriff wants to run for mayor against the incumbent for highly politicized reasons.

Eddington reunites Ari Aster and Joaquin Phoenix

They collaborated on Beau Is Afraid

What it does Eddington So intriguing is not only the secrecy surrounding the film, but also the fact that it pairs Ari Aster once again with Joaquin Phoenix. Aster wrote and directed the dark horror comedy, with Phoenix leading the Beau is scared cast as the troubled and lonely Beau Wasserman. The film was a box office bomb and received mixed reactions from critics, who criticized the Beau is scaredrunning time of three hours, but praised Phoenix’s performance.

In 2023, Phoenix said USA today how much he enjoyed working with Aster on Beau is scaredsaying “I just thought, ‘I like talking to Ari and I want to keep talking to him. I could spend a few months with this guy. I could tell he cared deeply about his work, but he was also funny.“This accolade would signal another great collaboration between Aster and Phoenix with Eddingtonand given the plot and genre of the film, it seems like it will please audiences more than Beau is scared.