Eddington is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing genre crossovers in recent memory—blending Ari Aster’s signature dread-laced storytelling with a Western backdrop and pandemic-era paranoia. With Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal leading the cast, it’s hard not to anticipate something intense, layered, and deeply unsettling.
Phoenix as a small-town sheriff already sounds like a role with massive potential for psychological depth, especially under Aster’s direction. And Pascal’s presence as a possibly morally ambiguous townsperson adds to the tension. Add Emma Stone and Austin Butler into that eerie New Mexico setting, and you’ve got a dream ensemble.
The synopsis hints at both societal fracture and the creeping unease that Aster is known for, and setting it in 2020—right at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic—could add a layer of social commentary on fear, isolation, and distrust. This could be less about jump scares and more about slow-burn dread rooted in very real anxieties, especially with the “neighbor against neighbor” premise.
With A24 behind it and a Cannes premiere scheduled, Eddington could be one of 2025’s most talked-about releases.
Would you like a breakdown of Ari Aster’s past work to get a sense of what to expect from Eddington?
