The first teaser for Ari Aster’s latest film just dropped and it’s sure to get people talking, as its characters are introduced discussing COVID conspiracy theories during a cinematic doomscroll.
“Eddington,” a modern Western set to open in competition at Cannes, is Aster’s latest film after the box office disappointment of 2023’s “Beau Is Afraid.”
Per A24’s brief description of “Eddington”: “In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and mayor (Pedro Pascal) sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.”
Joining Phoenix and Pascal in the cast are Austin Butler, Emma Stone, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Amélie Hoeferle, Clifton Collins Jr. and William Belleau.
The film is Aster’s fourth feature, following “Hereditary,” “Midsommar” and “Afraid,” the last of which Phoenix also starred in. All of the films are A24 productions.
Aster discussed working with Phoenix on “Afraid” during a discussion with Yorgos Lanthimos for Variety‘s Directors on Directors.
“Having now worked with him, I understand why he is so reluctant to jump onto anything — because he really puts all of himself into whatever he’s doing,” Aster said. “The way that he challenges the material — not in a gratuitous way or in a way that’s a pain in the ass. The question usually amounts to ‘Is there anything we haven’t considered here?’ I realized that it’s something that I was really wanting from an actor, and now I can’t imagine making a film without him.”
The Cannes Film Festival will run from May 13-24, with an American release date for “Eddington” set for July 18. Watch the teaser below.
