Emma Stone and More Join Ari Aster’s ‘Eddington’

The ‘Hereditary’ director, who last made ‘Beau is Afraid’, has recruited an eclectic ensemble for his new movie, which has just started shooting this week.

(Left) Emma Stone in 'Poor Things.' Photo by Atsushi Nishijima. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2023 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved. (Right) Pedro Pascal stars as "The Collector" in director Ethan Coen's 'Drive-Away Dolls,' a Focus Features release. Credit: Wilson Webb / Working Title / Focus Features.

Preview:

Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal and more have joined Ari Aster’s ‘Eddington’
The movie reunites Aster with his ‘Beau is Afraid’ star Joaquin Phoenix.
Austin Butler, Clifton Collins Jr., Luke Grimes and Micheal Ward are all aboard.

Given how strange, divisive and –– probably most crucially –– unsuccessful at the box office ($11.9 million worldwide gross on a $35 million budget) Ari Aster’s ‘Beau is Afraid’ proved to be last year, you might suspect that Aster would be languishing in the darkest depths of director jail.

And yet studio A24, which produced ‘Beau’, is clearly ready to believe in his vision again, and the fate of that movie did not detract from Aster’s ability to attract solid talent, as he’s got an excellent cast lined up for his new movie.

‘Eddington’, which has cameras now rolling, will feature recent Oscar winner (for the second time) Emma Stone, ‘The Last of Us’ Pedro Pascal and Joaquin Phoenix, who reunites with the director after starring as ‘Beau’s twitchy protagonist.

What’s the story of ‘Eddington’?

(L to R) Joaquin Phoenix and director Ari Aster on the set of 'Beau Is Afraid.'

As is his way, Aster –– who also brought us the nightmarish visions of ‘Hereditary’ and ‘Midsommar’ –– is keeping much of the detail close for now.

But with a script once more by the director, ‘Eddington’ reportedly focuses on a small-town New Mexico sheriff with lofty aspirations. And it’ll be in the Western genre, as confirmed by A24’s Instagram post on the start of production.

Do we expect it to be a straightforward moral tale of a lawman? Given the filmmaker’s previous work, we doubt it.

Who else is in ‘Eddington’?

Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure 'Dune: Part Two,' a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

In addition to Phoenix (who had been announced previously), Stone and Pascal, the cast also includes the likes of ‘Dune: Part Two’s Austin Butler, who has been garnering plenty of attention for his standout role in the sci-fi film, Clifton Collins Jr. (no stranger to Westerns after his work on TV’s ‘Westworld’), Luke Grimes of ‘Yellowstone’, ‘Empire of Light’s Micheal Ward, and Deirdre O’Connell, seen recently in Prime Video’s ‘Outer Range.'

Behind the camera, Aster has legendary cinematographer Darius Khondji ready to shoot whatever warped concepts he’s cooked up this time.

Stone, of course, is no stranger to offbeat directors, having seen success (including that second Oscar, for her role in ‘Poor Things’) working with Yorgos Lanthimos, with whom she has another movie, ‘Kinds of Kindness’ due this year.

When will ‘Eddington’ be in theaters?

A24 has yet to announce when Aster’s latest movie will make it to theaters. ‘Beau’ took a couple of years from filming to hit screens, but with luck the director will have this one ready for next year.