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The Fantastic Four is right around the corner and marks the MCU debut of Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards. However, Pascal has recently featured in Eddington, Ari Aster’s satirical black comedy movie starring Joker actor Joaquin Phoenix in the lead role.

Pascal and Phoenix recently sat down for a conversation with Men’s Health, where they discussed working together.

He was like, ‘Please don’t hit me,’ and I smacked him really hard.

Pascal jokingly made the above comment, revealing that he had to slap his co-star for one scene and was initially reluctant to do so. However, Joaquin Phoenix convinced Pascal that the slap needed to be real. Here is what Phoenix and Pascal had to say about filming their confrontational scene in Eddington.

The Fantastic Four‘s Pedro Pascal Reluctantly Agreed to Hit Joaquin Phoenix in Eddington

Directed by Ari Aster, Eddington was recently released in theaters and received mostly mixed reviews.

Ari Aster‘s latest movie, Eddington, is now in theaters and is arguably his most controversial work yet. It received mixed reviews from critics and currently holds a 68% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite strong performances from the lead cast, the movie has been criticized for its tonal inconsistency, which is evident in its desolate ending.

I wanted it to feel as desolate as possible.

Aster made the above comment during a recent interview with Variety, discussing the movie’s socio-political satire and commentary, as well as its themes. Aster explained why he always intended for the movie to end with a tragic fate for Joaquin Phoenix‘s Joe Cross. Here is what Aster had to say about the bleak ending of Eddington.

Spoiler Alert !!!Spoilers ahead for Eddington! Ari Aster Explains the Real Reason Behind Eddington‘s Desolate Ending

Eddington follows the story of Joe Cross, the conservative Sheriff of...

An interview gives audiences insight into an actor's upcoming project. One of the most effective ways to promote a film, show, album, book, and more is by appearing as a guest on a talk show. There was a time when everyone wanted to book a spot on TheLate Show with David Letterman; an appearance on the talk show was a great way to get exposure and connect with fans. From 1993 to 2015, some of the most popular actors sat in the chairs next to Letterman's desk on stage to chat and laugh. Some prominent celebrities include Demi Moore, Robin Williams, Madonna, Denzel Washington, LL Cool J, and more. Yet, perhaps the most awkward Late Show interview occurred in 2009, when Joaquin Phoenix appeared in character to promote a movie.

According to Deadline, Phoenix was promoting his film I'm Still Here, a mockumentary musical parody of the actor's real life. He announces his...

Set in the fictional town of Eddington and depicting two mayoral candidates in an election, Ari Aster and Emma Stone’s Eddington is a controversial film set during the events of the Covid-19 pandemic.

People often ask, ‘Is Eddington based on a true story?’ and there’s an easy answer to that. Although the events of the film have likely transpired in real life, Eddington remains a fictional take on the world and politics by Ari Aster (who’s also known for Hereditary and Midsommar).

With Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) and Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) competing to be the mayor of Eddington during the early days of the pandemic, with a rise in the Black Lives Matter protests, the film is chaotic, brutal, and plainly satirical on the views that people of this world hold.

Oh, Emma Stone is also in the movie, and the actress continues her...

While his latest movie is struggling, Pedro Pascal's impressive Rotten Tomatoes streak remains unbroken. While he has been active in Hollywood since 1995, the past decade has seen him leap into prominence. After years of taking relatively minor positions, his breakout came when he starred in Game of Thrones as the Dornish lord Oberyn Martell, and he never looked back.

Pascal has recently starred in increasingly prominent roles. He headlined Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), The Wild Robot (2024), Gladiator II (2024), and he is poised to lead the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) and The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026). As the rest of Hollywood struggled, Pascal has dominated the industry.

On the small screen, Pascal appeared as Javier Peña in Narcos, Din Djarin in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, and Joel Miller in The Last of Us. These roles helped to catapult the actor into the spotlight,...

If you’ve seen “Eddington,” you know the scene. Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) is hosting a barbecue for his supporters at his New Mexico home when his nemesis and re-election opponent, Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix), arrives to disrupt the event. Katy Perry’s 2010 hit “Firework” is blasting as Cross struts toward Garcia to demand he turn it down, leading to a stand-off.

On this week’s episode of the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, writer/director Ari Aster broke down the scene that is sure to become one of his most memorable.

“The truth is, that wasn’t the first song we tried,” said Aster. “We tried to get ‘Empire State of Mind,’ the Jay-Z, Alicia Keys [track].”

On the podcast, Aster discussed how, in casting Pascal, he wanted to play into and off of just how beloved “the internet’s daddy” had become to the audience. With Mayor Ted, Aster created a charming,...

Ari Aster's Eddington is a fictionalization and satire of American politics during the pandemic, and the director has spoken about his research and the touchpoints of reality for his divisive film. The first reactions to Eddington upon its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival proved right away that it would garner many wildly different reviews.

Eddington's story is primarily about the standoff between Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) and incumbent mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), who clash over different approaches to the outbreak of Covid-19. Although things seemingly spiral out of control far beyond any sense of realism in Eddington, the leads were apparently inspired by real people.

During an interview with Vulture, Ari Aster revealed that there was a real-life feud between a small-town sheriff and mayor, who "were really at odds on a lot of things, especially mask mandates." While Aster traveled around New Mexico to speak...

[Editor’s note: The following interview contains major spoilers for “Eddington.”]

You’d be hard-pressed to find a hot-button issue in the American culture war that Ari Aster’s “Eddington” doesn’t take a swing at.

Arguably the first great film made about the Covid-19 pandemic, the film follows an eponymous small town in New Mexico that reaches a crossroads when citizens are divided by slick liberal mayor Ted Garcia’s (Pedro Pascal) enforcement of the state’s mask mandates. While half the town is eager to see the virus controlled, the other half is convinced that their smug neighbors are using a hoax of a pandemic to control and mistreat them. Right-wing sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) capitalizes on that sentiment by launching his own insurgent mayoral campaign, providing a spark that literally and figuratively sets the town on fire as neighbors continue to fight over Black Lives Matter protests, the role of law enforcement in society, and Big Tech’s gradual accumulation of power.

Ari Aster and Joaquin Phoenix reunite for “Eddington,” a Covid-era western hitting theaters mid-July. Following their collaboration on “Beau Is Afraid,” the pair are this time joined by Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone and Austin Butler. After a Cannes debut, Aster’s new A24 feature is already shaping up to be one of the year’s most controversial films.

“Eddington” will be Aster’s fourth feature following “Hereditary,” “Midsommar” and “Beau Is Afraid.” All four were A24 productions.

When does “Eddington” come out?

“Eddington” will release in theaters Friday, July 18.

Is “Eddington” streaming?

No, “Eddington” is not currently streaming and will be released exclusively in theaters. Like most A24 films, “Eddington” is a theatrical-only release. It will be one of the company’s heavy hitters for the year.

You can find tickets below for screenings of “Eddington” near you.

AMC

Atom Tickets

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Where will “Eddington” be streaming?

It is...

Sony's Morbius movie could have been good. At least, that's what the Marvel fandom is now saying on social media after learning that filmmaker Ari Aster was approached to direct the Sony's Spider-Man Universe movie.

During a recent interview with the Mixed Signals podcast, Aster was asked to confirm or deny a rumor about him having been asked to direct a Marvel movie. The filmmaker confirmed that the rumor was true, saying, "Yes, once." After being nudged to reveal the movie, Aster shared that it was not Marvel Studios who wanted him, but Sony Pictures. "Well, I don’t know. I feel like I shouldn’t say. Should I? I was asked to do… Is it Mobius? Morbius? Morbius," he revealed. Aster clearly turned down the offer, as the 2022 Marvel movie starring Jared Leto was ultimately helmed by Daniel Espinosa, who earned a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director...

Eddington is the latest movie from the innovative mind of director Ari Aster, known for his provocative filmmaking style. It received a glowing review from filmmaker Martin Scorsese, who described it as a frightening look at American life as it dares to explore political upheaval during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the movie is likely to prove extremely controversial after its recent theatrical release, generating mostly mixed reactions on Rotten Tomatoes. Given its satirical take on the real-life socio-political climate, divisive reactions are understandable, but here is why Scorsese has given Eddington a positive review.

Martin Scorsese’s Eddington Review Is a Chilling Take on America’s Current State

Directed by Ari Aster, Eddington is a satirical black comedy film set in the titular New Mexico town, which centers on its conservative sheriff, Joe Cross, played by Beau is Afraid star Joaquin Phoenix. Joe finds himself in a power struggle with the town’s liberal mayor,...

Spoiler Alert !!!Spoilers ahead for Eddington!

Eddington is the latest movie from director Ari Aster and arguably his boldest and most controversial one yet. It follows Joe Cross, the sheriff of the titular New Mexico town, who finds himself at odds with the town’s mayor amid the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting political upheaval.

However, towards the end, Aster introduced a brilliant twist related to Antifa, a left-wing anti-fascist group in the USA, which indirectly ties into the movie’s themes. As a result of this twist, Aster’s satire quickly transforms into American society’s worst nightmare, and here is why that makes Eddington one of A24’s scariest movies.

How Ari Aster’s Antifa Twist Makes Eddington The Scariest A24 Movie

Eddington stars Joaquin Phoenix as Joe Cross, the conservative sheriff of the titular town. He comes into conflict with the town’s liberal mayor, Ted Garcia, played by Pedro Pascal.

This article contains spoilers for "Eddington."

Although he's only four films deep into his career, filmmaker Ari Aster has already gained a notorious reputation for the way his work includes a heaping helping of ambiguity. From the mysteries surrounding the Graham family's past in "Hereditary" to the question of what (if anything) is real in "Beau Is Afraid," Aster's movies leave a lot of aspects unexplained by their conclusion. His latest film, "Eddington," is no different in this department. Even though it's set in a more recognizably grounded world than his prior films, it's not for lack of any paranoia-inducing (or paranoia-induced) elements. Aster's earlier films follow a protagonist as they are inexorably drawn into an increasingly hostile and surreal world, and the biggest difference with "Eddington" is that this surreal world just happens to closely resemble our reality from the year 2020 and beyond.

Despite deliberately playing with this political and sociological fire,...

Ari Aster makes emotional detonators in the form of movies, and Eddington, his fourth project, is his most explosive and polarizing feature yet. Aster doesn’t delve into supernatural horror like he did in Midsommar or Hereditary, but something more grounded, and arguably more terrifying: his understanding of America’s reality.

Eddington is set in a small town in New Mexico during 2020, and stars Joaquin Phoenix as Sheriff Joe Cross and Pedro Pascal as Mayor Ted Garcia. What starts as a tense political rivalry during the pandemic quickly turns into a full-blown social meltdown. So, let’s look at what happens at the end of this satirical black comedy, and what it all means.

How Ali Aster’s Eddington Tips Into Its Devastating Final Act A still from Eddignton | Credits: A24

The turning point of Eddington occurs when Joe murders Ted and his son Eric, unleashing a torrent of destruction...

With last weekend’s “super” domination at the multiplex by one big blockbuster, some filmgoers may be looking for a break from the usual escapist Summer cinematic offerings. Well, that “indie upstart” A24 is always ready to provide a diversion that’s truly “off the beaten path”. And the setting for this flick is “way off” that trail, as an acclaimed, somewhat eccentric filmmaker guides us into a dusty desert town that’s fraught with old feuds and frustrations. Plus, the early 2020 “climate” not only brings everyone there to a “boiling point”, but it may provide the ‘spark” that could ignite the “tinderbox town” of Eddington.

The village that has “seen better days” is in a remote part of New Mexico. The timeline of the tale is May 2020. In the opening scene, the town’s longtime sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) gets into a “dust-up” with two patrolmen from a...

The Eddington mayoral race went straight to the heads of Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) and Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal).

Cast your vote with A24‘s political-style bobbleheads. Each limited edition, resin collectible stands 8″ tall.

Available exclusively for AAA24 members, they’re $48 a piece or $86 for the pair.

Written and directed by Ari Aster, the contemporary western set against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemich hits theaters tomorrow, July 18.

In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.

Phoenix and Pascal star alongside Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Amélie Hoeferle, Clifton Collins Jr., William Belleau, Austin Butler, and Emma Stone.

Meagan Navarro wrote in her review, “Eddington makes you sit with the discomforting tour down memory lane, just dialed up to violent, satirical excess. That it feels like it’s punching down in its pitch-black observations only further frustrates.

Plot: Set during the infamous Covid summer of 2020, Eddington follows a small-town sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and a charismatic mayor (Pedro Pascal) as they clash over mask mandates, their shared past, and escalating ideological divides.

Review: Ari Aster’s Eddington is half of a great film. When focused on the rising madness that gripped much of the world during the pandemic’s early days, it’s sharp, uneasy satire. But the film goes so wildly off the rails in its final hour that it undoes nearly everything that made its riveting first half work, resulting in yet another alienating misfire for Aster following the divisive Beau Is Afraid.

That’s a shame, because the opening is genuinely gripping, capturing the surreal chaos of a moment most of us would rather forget. Set in a fictional Midwestern town, Eddington depicts the early days of lockdowns, mask mandates, and “family bubbles.” Joaquin Phoenix plays Joe Cross,...

Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal in ‘Eddington’ (Photo Credit: A24)

When it comes to writer/director Ari Aster, the only thing that it seems movie fans can expect is to expect the unexpected. From Hereditary through Midsommar right up to Beau is Afraid, it’s hard to tell what the auteur is going to do. And that trend continues with his newest movie, Eddington.

Set in May of the year 2020 in the town of Eddington, New Mexico, Eddington finds the small community in the midst of a political struggle between the progressive mayor Ted Garcia (The Mandalorian’s Pedro Pascal) and the town’s conservative sheriff, Joe Cross. Since it’s an election year, and since Joe opposes every idea Ted has, Joe decides to run against him. The political discourse splits the town in half, and everyone’s secrets are about to be revealed.

Now, there is one more...

Writer-Director Ari Aster‘s latest nightmare vision turns the mirror outward and gets confrontational with a western paranoid thriller set in a period most are ready to leave in the past: the early days of lockdown in 2020. Eddington aims to push buttons as it satirizes everything from the absurdity of the pandemic’s early days to the echo chambers and politics tearing communities apart. It’s at once familiar and unpredictable, and increasingly violent. It’s also unpleasant to watch, by design.

Eddington instantly transports us back to May 2020, a time when toilet paper was being hoarded and mask mandates were already causing friction, despite the fictional small-town setting in New Mexico.

Micheal Ward, Joaquin Phoenix, and Luke Grimes. Photo credit: Richard Foreman

At the forefront of the town’s increasingly volatile descent into full-blown chaos and violence is asthmatic wife guy Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix), a not particularly...

Despite the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the film industry forever, cinema has faced trepidation in representing its direct impact onscreen. Even if everything from “28 Days Later” to “Barbie” can be taken to be a metaphor for the shutdowns, social distancing, and political unrest that further divided an already agitated society, resurfacing the collective trauma brought about in 2020 has proven to be too touchy a subject. Hollywood may have been capable of making masterworks like “Apocalypse Now” shortly after the Vietnam War, but it’s harder to craft a specific thematic assessment about Covid, as its ramifications have yet to be fully determined.

While Ari Aster has previously used supernatural, mythic, and nightmarish mythology in order to examine existential topics regarding human tragedy, there is (ironically enough) no such masks in “Eddington.” Set only months after the world seemingly shut down upon the rise of an enigmatic virus,...

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for the new film release “Eddington,” written and directed by American auteur Ari Aster, whose previous films were “Hereditary,” “Midsommer” and “Beau is Afraid.” In theaters on July 18th.

Joaquin Phoenix is Sheriff Joe Cross, a lawman who is up against it during the Pandemic Era of May 2020 in Eddington, New Mexico. His marriage to Louise (Emma Stone) is falling apart, his mother-in-law (Deidre O’Connor) is quarantined with them, and the townspeople are rebelling against the mask mandate, and Joe supports the rebellion. On the other side is Eddington’s mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), a progressive who wants to follow the pandemic rules and promote town unity. As the anger and tension mounts, and conspiracy theories are readily available on the web, the lines in the sand are about to be drawn, as Sheriff Cross enters the mayor’s race.

Beginning with Hereditary, expanding in Midsommar, and cresting with the polarizing Beau Is Afraid, Ari Aster has made socio-emotional estrangement from family, lovers, and community his pet theme in increasingly outré tales of individuals failing to connect or connecting in ways that are destructive to themselves and others. It’s a focus that’s more forthrightly on the real-world resonance of the events depicted in his latest, Eddington. Set in a fictional New Mexico town at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the film looks back at the crisis that broke the United States to ask where we are now and where we might be headed.

Eddington stars Joaquin Phoenix as Joe Cross, a sheriff who announces a mayoral bid after being humiliated for not wearing a mask in public. But inflaming an old rivalry with incumbent Mayor Ted Garcia (Pero Pascal) turns out to be the least of Joe’s worries,...

Not for nothing does Eddington arrive with the tagline “Hindsight is 2020.” Ari Aster’s film looks back at the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic not with the clear vision afforded by retrospection, but from the bottom of the rift that America is still stuck in. It’s a fissure that, as Aster sees it, cracked wide open the moment that polarized politics, social and educational failings, and social media brain rot came up against a make-or-break crisis.

In early 2020, the fictional New Mexico town of Eddington is mandating social distance and masking rules, and much to the chagrin of its asthmatic sheriff, Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix), who thinks the concerns plaguing major metropolitan areas have no business intruding into the affairs of his one-horse burg. But Eddington isn’t as isolated from the problems of modernity as Joe believes. For one, a tech giant named solidgoldmagikarp, with the support...

The Premise Of ‘Eddington’ “In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico” (IMDb). Joaquin Phoenix is reuniting with his ‘Beau is Afraid’ director to star as mayoral hopeful, Sheriff Joe Cross. Newcomers to the world of Ari Aster include Pedro Pascal as incumbent mayor, Ted Garcia, Emma Stone as Joe’s wife, Louise, and Austin Butler as a radical cult leader, Vernon Jefferson Peak. Supporting players Deirdre O’Connell, Michael Ward, and Luke Grimes round out the cast. Emma Stone and Christopher Abbott were two of the first actors originally announced to star in ‘Eddington’, but Abbot had to step down and was replaced by Butler as the cult leader. Abbott is a great screen presence, so it will be interesting to see whether this replacement was for the better or worse when it comes out.

We’re diving into a thrilling summer movie season, and July 2025 is packed with films that have us buzzing with excitement. From superhero reboots to dinosaur-fueled adventures, this month’s lineup offers something for everyone, blending action, heart, and fresh spins on beloved franchises.

Based on what we’re hearing from Rotten Tomatoes users, the anticipation is sky-high for a mix of blockbusters and unique stories. Let’s break down the top five films you won’t want to miss in theaters this July, counting down from the fifth spot to the number one pick.

5. Eddington (2025) A24

A small-town sheriff faces off against the mayor in Eddington (2025), a dark comedy-drama set during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Directed by Ari Aster, known for Hereditary and Midsommar, this film promises a tense, twist-filled story set in the fictional town of Eddington, New Mexico.

Joaquin Phoenix stars as Sheriff Joe Cross, clashing with...

Exclusive: With a hot Ari Aster movie on the horizon, Eddington actor Matt Gomez Hidaka has just booked a role in Josh Trank’s upcoming horror-thriller, Send A Scare, opposite Victoria Justice and Robbie Amell.

In Eddington, Gomez Hidaka plays Eric Garcia, the son to Pedro Pascal’s mayor Ted Garcia who goes toe-to-toe with the politics of Joaquin Phoenix’s crusty sheriff, Joe Cross. Gomez Hidaka’s Eric is loyal to his father, often giving Joe Cross a hard time in public.

Written by Andrew Ryan and Trank from an original story by Ryan, Send A Scare centers on an interactive horror startup that gives thrill-seekers a way to send scares to friends and family… but when potential investors host a demonstration, the experience gets hijacked by a real masked killer with a deadly agenda. The movie is currently in production.

Gomez Hidaka’s previous credits include the Apple TV+ series Silo.

Emma Stone’s love of minimalist style was on display during her recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where she discussed her upcoming movie, Eddington.

The Poor Things actress opted for a monochromatic black and white look, and it’s no surprise that she chose an outfit from Louis Vuitton, the French fashion house for which she has been an ambassador since 2017.

Jump to a Look:

1. Monochrome Magic: Louis Vuitton Top & Silk Skirt 2. Statement Footwear: Jude’s Crisscross Thong Sandals 3. Finishing Touches: Pixie Cut, Accessories & Persol Sunnies

As a loyal supporter of the brand, Emma has often sported pieces from their collection. But what surprised me was her footwear choice. Rather than opting for a complete outfit from Louis Vuitton, Emma chose to wear sandals from the relatively new independent footwear label, Jude.

Emma Stone wows in a laid-back monochromatic summer ensemble outside the Jimmy Kimmel Live! studios ahead of...

Ari Aster had wanted to make a Western for a while.

The director of modern horror classics “Hereditary” and “Midsommar,” whose last film was the comedic freak-out “Beau Is Afraid,” grew up in New Mexico and longed to make his “New Mexico movie.” He had even contemplated making a Western his first movie. But it wasn’t until 2020, in the midst of the global pandemic, that Aster began to write what would ultimately become “Eddington,” opening later this month from A24. “That came out of just feeling the waters heating up to a boil and needing an outlet and feeling so overwhelmed by everything,” Aster told TheWrap. “I just wanted to start recording what I was seeing and feeling and make a film that reflected the environment.”

The resulting film follows Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix), the small town sheriff of Eddington, whose frustrations – surrounding his wife Louise (Emma Stone), who...

When it comes to life's impactful events, there is a distinction between acknowledgement and understanding. The latter can only come with distance and time; no era can be fully understood while we're still living in it, no matter how long or how short it lasts. The former is much more immediate, as all it takes is a brief glance at major news headlines to grasp when something is happening. Unfortunately, acknowledgement has much more potential to lead to emotional upheavals especially because an event or problem is still ongoing. It's why the term "doomscrolling" has entered the common parlance, and why recent national issues (never mind international ones) have contributed to an overall mental health crisis that so many of us are experiencing these days. It's not paranoia if the news seems like it's really out to get you, in other words.

America's current descent into cultural madness has many contributors,...

Noah Sacco, production and acquisitions executive at A24, delivered a few opening remarks ahead of the screening of Eddington, the latest film from writer-director Ari Aster. The event took place Thursday at the Directors Guild of America’s Theater One on Sunset Boulevard.

In his introduction, Sacco reflected on Aster’s history of bold choices, offering a glimpse of what audiences can expect from Eddington. His comments served as both a tribute to Aster’s unique vision and a subtle warning: prepare for something daring and unexpected.

“Whether it’s decapitating the protagonist [Hereditary in 2020] halfway through a movie or deeply upsetting pagan sex rituals [Midsommar in 2019] or giant penis monsters [Beau Is Afraid in 2023], it’s just always exciting and inspiring to watch someone challenge themselves as much as [Ari] does,” enthused Sacco, as he communicated his full confidence in the filmmaker’s vision and talent.

Eddington is a black comedy-drama feature starring Joaquin Phoenix,...

Ari Aster's newest film, Eddington, is gearing up to be one of the most interesting and controversial releases of the year, and the latest trailer released by A24 showcases what looks to be an intense showdown between Joaquin Phoenix's Joe Cross and Pedro Pascal's Ted Garcia. While the teaser trailer is only a minute long, it effectively uses those 60 seconds to ramp up the tension, unlike any of the other trailers released up until this point. Overall, Eddington looks unlike anything Aster has made before, leaning more towards action than the horror for which the director has become well-known.

The fast-paced new trailer does an incredible job of showcasing the ensemble cast at the heart of Eddington, effectively selling the film as an intense narrative with numerous moving pieces. At the heart of the conflict, though, are Eddington Sheriff Joe Cross (Phoenix) and Mayor Ted Garcia (Pascal...

A24 has revealed the final trailer for the Eddington movie, the upcoming Western black comedy written and directed by Ari Aster. The film had its world premiere at the main competition of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 16.

Opening in theaters on July 18, the Eddington movie has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association (MPA) for strong violence, some grisly images, language, and graphic nudity.

From writer-director Ari Aster comes a modern Western and paranoid thriller set in the American Southwest during the tumultuous summer of 2020. Isolated and sheltered in place, in a global pandemic, a nation under pressure found itself sifting reality through the haze of social media and lost its collective mind.

Eddington stars Joaquin Phoenix as small-town sheriff Joe Cross, who runs for mayor when progressive incumbent Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) attempts to modernize their dusty hamlet by attracting a new artificial-intelligence data center.

Aster’s...

Ari Aster is back with a brand-new film, and it’s nothing like his past horror hits. His latest movie, Eddington, brings together a big cast in a strange mix of Western, comedy, and drama, all set during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. A new trailer just dropped, giving audiences their first real look at the unusual world Aster has created.

The story is set in a fictional town in New Mexico in May 2020, when lockdowns and fear were at their peak. The film follows Sheriff Joe Cross, played by Joaquin Phoenix, as tensions rise between him and the town’s mayor, Ted Garcia, played by Pedro Pascal.

Their personal and political feud quickly spirals, creating chaos in the small town. Emma Stone plays Joe’s wife, and Austin Butler appears as a mysterious newcomer who adds more trouble to an already tense situation.

Related: A24 Drops First...

In 2023, filmmaker Ridley Scott and actor Joaquin Phoenix, who worked together on the 2000 Oscar-winning epic filmGladiator, teamed up once again for another historical movie. Now, two years after it was released, Napoleonis climbing the streaming charts. Per FlixPatrol, Napoleon is currently in the No. 10 spot in the top 10 movies streaming on Apple TV+.

Napoleon was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Achievement in Visual Effects, Best Achievement in Production Design, and Best Achievement in Costume Design. The film was directed by Scott from a script by David Scarpa. Scarpa also co-wrote Scott’s 2024 Gladiatorsequel, Gladiator II, with Peter Craig.

Image via FlixPatrol Phoenix Stars as the Titular French Emperor

Scott’s Napoleon stars Phoenix as the titular Napoleon Bonaparte in the war movie that also serves as a biopic chronicling the rise and fall of the French emperor. The Fantastic Four: First Stepsstar Vanessa Kirby co-starred in Napoleon as Josephine Bonaparte,...

A24 has launched a new official trailer for filmmaker Ari Aster’s new Western-noir dark comedy film ‘Eddington.’

Set during the pandemic, the ensemble film centres primarily on the rivalry between Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) and Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal).

The conflict begins when Joe refuses to wear a face mask at a local grocery store, which leads him to run for mayor of the New Mexico town of Eddington, challenging Ted, who thought he would run unopposed.

The cast also includes Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Michael Ward, and Clifton Collins Jr.

Also in trailers – Matthew McConaughey stars in teaser trailer for Paul Greengrass’ ‘The Lost Bus’

The post “Is it worth it?” New trailer revealed for Ari Aster’s ‘Eddington’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.

The first trailer for Eddington debuted online today, giving most people their first look at what the attendees of the Cannes Film Festival were yelling about last month.

By all accounts, Ari Aster's twisted Western takes the upside-down world of 2020 head-on with a vision that is sure to be as polarizing as our times when it hits theaters next month.

If you're curious about what is next from the Hereditary, Midsommar, and Beau Is Afraid filmmaker, here's everything you need to know about Eddington.

What's it about?

Set in the town of Eddington, N.M., in May 2020, the film centers on a standoff between the town's conservative sheriff, Joe Cross (played by Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix), and its liberal mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal). The movie deals explicitly with the issues that were actually gripping the country at the time — the Covid-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement,...

The Eddington trailer shows Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal battling over their small town in Ari Aster's divisive new movie. Written and directed by Aster – known for Hereditary, Midsommar, and Beau is Afraid – his upcoming contemporary Western follows the conflict between a sheriff (Phoenix) and mayor (Pascal) in the fictional small town of Eddington, New Mexico in May of 2020. Eddington's cast includes other notable stars, such as Emma Stone and Austin Butler, alongside Luke Grimes, Deirdre O'Connell, and Michael Ward.

Now, A24 has released the official trailer for Eddington. It begins in 2020, during the midst of the pandemic, as Phoenix's sheriff receives a nasal swab test and insists that Pascal's mayor must stand six feet apart. Phoenix's sheriff, Joe Cross, decides to run for mayor, putting him into conflict with Pascal's incumbent mayor, Ted Garcia. This conflict sets the community on edge and causes tensions to explode, turning neighbors against each other.

A24 has cemented itself as a studio with very strong releases. Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal teamed up with the studio for Ari Aster's new neo-Western.

Titled Eddington, the star-studded film comes with a political twist that brings people back five years: to the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Eddington had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May and had an underwhelming reaction from the critics. Ahead of the film's release on July 18, A24's Eddington officially released the trailer, which can be seen below.

The first official teaser for the film was released in mid-April, and it featured some of the famous faces who star in the film in a creative way: via Joaquin Phoenix's character's social media feed. The new trailer raises the stakes with a look at what's to come.

Eddington follows the mayoral race between a small-town sheriff, Phoenix's Joe Cross, and Pascal's Ted Garcia,...

There's a small-town showdown brewing in A24 and Ari Aster's upcoming darkly comedic contemporary Western, Eddington. Following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last month, a new trailer has just been released, teasing the upcoming battle for the soul of the titular locale between Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal. Phoenix, in a reunion with Aster after their surreal adventure, Beau Is Afraid, in 2023, plays the town's sheriff, Joe Cross, while Pascal embodies Mayor Ted Garcia, both of whom fall on vastly different sides of a fractured society. What follows is an ugly power struggle that pits neighbor against neighbor in a microcosm of the upheaval around the country during the 2020 pandemic.

The new trailer digs a bit deeper into the conflict between the two men and all the contributing factors in Eddington, New Mexico's descent into political and cultural upheaval. As seen in the first footage, social media...

What happens when a small town is pushed to its breaking point? Visionary director Ari Aster’s latest movie, Eddington, will answer that question. The upcoming project is said to explore that very question, and given the star-studded cast and amazing premise, it’s already turning heads.

Known for his brilliant work in Hereditary and Midsommar, Aster is now returning with an entirely new concept: a contemporary Western that will blend deep emotions, societal tension, and obviously powerful storytelling. Eddington also recently premiered at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, and while the glamour at the event was an all-time high, the movie also gained a lot of praise.

Featuring the likes of Pedro Pascal and Joaquin Phoenix, to name a few, the movie is already promising a thought-provoking drama. However, the movie isn’t just about the chaos – it’s also about the people caught in it. So, what’s...

There's beauty in being able to pick up your phone and search for answers to your questions. Having such easy access to information can also be a scary thing though, because sometimes that 'at the moment' question leads to your algorithm being full of similar content.Emma Stone knows this all too well after her algorithm transformed into a "rabbit hole" of crazy things while filming Ari Aster's Eddington. The Western film just premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, although the early reviews are mixed. It will hit theaters on July 18, 2025, and Stone plays Joaquin Phoenix's character's wife, Louise, and to prepare for the role, she had to learn about conspiracy theories.

Her character in the film fell down a conspiracy rabbit hole after meeting Austin Butler's character. According to Variety, because she had to learn about conspiracy theories to play the part perfectly, some of that...

When writer/director Ari Aster stood up for the ovation after the Cannes premiere of his divisive 2020-set Western “Eddington”, he said, “I feel very privileged to be here. This is a dream come true. Thank you so much for having me. And, I don’t know, sorry?”

Indeed, festival attendees have been fiercely divided by his 145-minute portrait of a fictional New Mexico town wracked by Covid, BLM, Acab, you-name-it-2020-buzz-concept during the darkest season of American lives in recent memory. Joaquin Phoenix (Aster’s “Beau Is Afraid”) plays a conservative sheriff who decides to run against his Gavin Newsom-esque, pro-masks-and-testing adversary, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), in the local mayoral election.

Meanwhile, at home, Phoenix’s character Joe Cross is in a quarantine bubble with his hysteria-addled wife Louise (Emma Stone) and her far-right conspiracy-obsessed mother Dawn (Deirdre O’Connell), the type for whom hydroxychloroquine was presumably a panacea.

Ari Aster’s Eddington drops us into late May 2020 in a dust-choked New Mexico town where the wildfire panic of Covid-19 meets taut Western convention. Here, Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) refuses a cloth mask with the same stubborn pride as a gunslinger holsters his revolver, standing in stark relief against Mayor Ted Garcia’s (Pedro Pascal) precise public-health edicts. In this crucible of fear, rumors mutate into rallying cries, and neighbors who once shared water spouts now trade barbs at six feet of distance.

Cross’s wife, Louise (Emma Stone), hovers between fragile recovery and creeping disillusionment, prodded by her conspiracy-fixated mother Dawn (Deirdre O’Connell). Into this maelstrom strides Vernon (Austin Butler), a charismatic stranger peddling borrowed trauma and empty solace. Their intersecting paths spark a campaign of viral rhetoric, fracturing loyalties and igniting protests that split the town clean down its unpaved main drag.

Aster fashions a canvas...

Ari Aster and his Eddington cast are unpacking what the film is saying about America.

The filmmaker was joined by Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Micheal Ward and Luke Grimes at Saturday’s Cannes press conference following the movie’s Friday night premiere.

The movie takes place in May 2020 and is set in a small fictional town in New Mexico, where the local sheriff Joe Cross (Phoenix) decides to run against the charismatic and Covid-conscious mayor Ted Garcia (Pascal). As Joe’s campaign intensifies, so does the pandemonium of the pandemic era with news coverage and social media posts stoking the flames of right-wing conspiracy, rising racial reckoning and protests against police brutality following the death of George Floyd.

“I wrote this film in a state of fear and anxiety about the world, and I wanted to try to pull back and show what it feels like...

When it came to unpacking the politics of Maga culture and Donald Trump in Ari Aster’s Eddington, there was no dodging the subject for the filmmaker and stars Pedro Pascal and Joaquin Phoenix at the Cannes presser this afternoon.

Actually, Phoenix let Pascal do all the talking.

Eddington is a melting pot about the fallout from Covid, the frenzy of social media and how Black Lives Matter gripped the country. The pic follows crusty Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix), who decides to take on the town’s mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal). But the odds are greatly stacked against Cross, and he tries to take the situation into his own hands.

Expounded Pascal when asked how the politics of the movie speaks to the Trumpian era: “It’s very scary to participate in a movie that speaks to issues like this; it’s far too intimidating a question for me to address.

Ari Aster’s fourth film, Eddington is on the horizon.

The Western thriller and black comedy film follows Aster’s Beau Is Afraid (2023) starring Joaquin Phoenix, who has reteamed with the director on his latest project. Aster was also behind films like the Florence Pugh-starring Midsommar (2019) and Hereditary (2018) and C’est La Vie (2016).

For everything we know about Eddington, read on below:

When does Eddington come out?

The film first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2025 to a nearly seven-minute standing ovation.

Deadline’s Damon Wise praised director Ari Aster for being “willing to go there” in terms of satirizing modern America and “for depicting a slice of history that we have yet to see properly shown on film, even though it happened only five years ago.”

Related: ‘Eddington’ Review: Ari Aster’s Explosive, Satirical Neo-Western Takes A Big Swing At Maga Culture – Cannes Film Festival

When does Eddington come to theaters?...

Ari Aster would like you to go back in time. The writer-director of Hereditary and Midsommar doesn’t need you to travel too far. Just five years. You probably remember a few of the details from May 2020: social distancing, social-media diatribes, swabs being thrust violently into nasal cavities, “I Can’t Breathe,” uprisings in the streets. It’s crazy to think all of this took place half a decade ago. It’s even crazier to ignore the creeping sensation that we’re still trapped in the moment when social stress fractures became chasms,...

Did we all go completely nuts during those unsettlingly strange first months of Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, when cities became ghost towns and people thrust into isolation started gambling with their mental health by living online and buying whatever the social media echo chamber coughed up? That’s the assessment in Ari Aster’s Eddington, which views that collective national trauma through the microcosm of a fictitious New Mexico small town. Essentially a modern Western marbled with a vein of dark comedy, the movie is neither suspenseful nor funny enough to work as either. Mostly, it’s a distancing slog.

After the diabolically well-crafted classic horror of Hereditary and Midsommar, gifted writer-director Aster took a turn into more personal territory with the uneven Oedipal odyssey Beau Is Afraid, a tumble down a rabbit hole of neuroses full of striking nightmarish imagery and poignant confessional moments of crippled masculinity. Ultimately, though, the...

Making his Cannes Film Festival Competition debut, Ari Aster unveiled Eddington this evening, with the psychological western lassoing a nearly seven-minute ovation that included scattered clapping during the credits.

Star Joaquin Phoenix was tearing up as the applause continued.

“I don’t know what you think,” a beaming Aster joked to the crowd, drawing laughs. “Thank you for being here. I feel very privileged to be here. It’s a dream come true. Thank you so much for having me. And, I don’t know — sorry? I don’t know.”

He added: “This was a great experience. I love all these people around me.”

Related: Pedro Pascal Says That With ‘Eddington’ Ari Aster Wrote A Movie That’s “All Our Worst Fears” In Post-Covid Political Era

Ari Aster’s #Eddington starring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Austin Butler, and Michael Ward receives a 7-minute ovation in #Cannes2025 pic.twitter.

Ari Aster made his Cannes Film Festival debut Friday with the world premiere of his latest psychological nightmare — this time a Western set in Covid times — on Friday. “Eddington” reunites the “Hereditary,” “Midsommar” and “Beau Is Afraid” filmmaker with the latter film’s Joaquin Phoenix. Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal and Austin Butler also star.

Aster has become known as a master of the psychological horror genre following his breakout film “Hereditary,” an intense look at the consequences of inherited family trauma, in 2018. In “Eddington,” Phoenix plays local sheriff Joe Cross in a small town in New Mexico during the 2020 Covid pandemic. Cross comes to a head with Pedro Pascal’s Ted Garcia, the town’s mayor who leads the community into a world of chaos with his questionable decision-making. The film explores the power of fake news, the fragility of community and how conspiracy theories can lead to a rabbit...