Pedro Pascal Leads Ari Aster's Eddington, A24’s Darkest Satire Yet

 

Info in Movie News | A24 has once more taken an one big steps with their upcoming movie entitled Eddington which is the newest film of the one and only director Ari Aster. This flick will show us a story that happened in a small town that never gained existence during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic which ended up in a situation of the people's real madness of the situation. The movie also features Pedro Pascal in the role of a good town head who fights hard to keep his town in one piece in those rough times. With a sharp satirical edge and Aster’s signature unsettling tone, Eddington is shaping up to be one of 2025’s most anticipated releases.

According to GQ and The Verge, Eddington takes place in a made-up New Mexico town as tensions flare and trust in local institutions crumbles. Even though the pandemic is the main point, the movie goes beyond—it is a story about paranoia, political disputes, and the struggle for mental health in a society that is almost falling apart. Ari Aster, who is famous for his work in Hereditary, Midsommar, and Beau Is Afraid, firmly takes on the characters' toils in modern times with dark comedy and psychological intensities to draw a grimly captivating image of the US.

The cast boasts some of the biggest names in the industry. Pedro Pascal plays Mayor Ted Garcia, who is becoming a realist as he grapples with heavy matters. Joaquin Phoenix is the character that played Sheriff Joe Cross, who can't really decide what he feels, is a bit angry, while Emma Stone plays the role of Louise Cross, a former journalist, and Joe's wife who is trying to keep herself together as the world is falling apart. Austin Butler rounds out the lead cast as Rev. Vernon Jefferson Peak, a persuasive priest whose real intentions are not so holy after all.

From a visual perspective, Eddington combines a grimy, space-greying American look with Aster's characteristic form of discomforting slow pacing. The film is full of long takes, empty spaces, and surrealistic scenes, all of which dominate the screen, creating a feeling like attending a psychological experiment. According to the whisperings, the story is quite unusual going back and forth in time and with fewer details but has been successful in flashing the emotional commotion of the characters.

To accompany Eddington, A24, on the other hand, recently put out Warfare, which is really just a war drama, a raw and gritty one though, co-directed by Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza. The film was based on Mendoza’s real-life experiences as a U.S. Navy SEAL in Iraq, and it was shown for the first time on April 11 2025, and it has been quite favored by critics since then, having a very high grade of “A-” on CinemaScore. A24 has also come up with other exciting titles that will keep the business moving such as Highest 2 Lowest, a crime thriller with Spike Lee as the director and Denzel Washington as the main character, that is waiting for its premiere at Cannes 2025. And then, we have The Smashing Machine, a biopic, which has Dwayne Johnson, Mark Kerr, and MMA as the main features and it is expected to hit theaters on October 3, 2025.

This film is set to debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025, and then it will open in cinemas on July 18, 2025. The word from the first viewers is that Eddington has the possibility of being selected for the Palme d’Or because of the current topicality of the film, the superb acting of the actors, and Aster's unique way of the storytelling. 

At a time when mainstream cinema is full of sequels and superhero stories, Eddington stands out as something rare—risky, layered, and deeply human. Whether you’re an Ari Aster fan or just craving a film that actually has something to say, this one might be worth putting on your radar.

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