Ron Howard’s “Eden” is a paradise packed with the buzziest 2025 stars. Sydney Sweeney has a supporting role in the ensemble that includes “Night Always Comes” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” actress Vanessa Kirby and Jude Law, whose “Black Rabbit” series will debut later this year. “Ballerina” star Ana de Armas and Daniel Brühl are also in the survival thriller.
“Eden” captures the “shocking true story” (per the film’s official logline) of a group of disillusioned outsiders who left civilization to start their own society on a remote, uninhabited island.
The synopsis reads: “From Academy Award–winning director Ron Howard, ‘Eden’ unravels the shocking true story of a group of disillusioned outsiders (Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Daniel Brühl, and Sydney Sweeney) who abandon modern society in search of a new beginning. Settling on a remote, uninhabited island, their utopian dream quickly unravels as they discover that the greatest threat isn’t the brutal climate or deadly wildlife, but each other. What follows is a chilling descent into chaos where tensions spiral, desperation takes hold, and a twisted power struggle leads to betrayal, violence, and the deaths of half the colony.”
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Vanity Fair previously reported that director Howard “actually had to push back on both Law and Kirby’s commitment to Method, Floreana-style living” during the shoot. Noah Pink wrote the script with Howard directing, as well as producing alongside Brian Grazer, Karen Lunder, Stuart Ford, William M. Connor, and Patrick Newall.
De Armas admitted to Vanity Fair that she was “a little scared” to take on the role, as the film is “really out there.” She added that “Eden” pushed her to get to her “craziest” self onscreen, including a “terrifying” experience singing in character. “I just couldn’t convince [Howard] to let me lip sync, so I had to learn the song. It was horrible. I was terrified,” de Armas said. “I would rather do 100 stunts than sing that song. It was terrifying because it’s also in front of all the actors. I just felt very exposed and vulnerable, and it’s not one of my talents for sure.”
She added, “Having this crazy threesome relationship, and being a woman of opposites — either she’s sweet and tender and fragile and nervous and scared, or she’s absolutely crazy and dangerous, it was kind of finding that limit. What was the craziest I could get? How far could I go?” The IndieWire review for “Eden” deemed de Armas a “scream in a cast filled with standout performances.”
Vertical will release “Eden” in theaters on Friday, August 22. Check out the trailer below.
