Director Ron Howard talks historical true crime thriller “Eden”

Ron Howard on the inspiration behind ‘Eden’

The story of these Floreana Island settlers — and the mysterious deaths and disappearances of some of them — is now told in Ron Howard’s “Eden,” opening in theaters from Vertical on Friday, Aug. 22.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard expected to find incredible plants and wildlife during a trip to the Galápagos Islands — but he didn’t expect to stumble onto the idea for his next film.

“I was on a family vacation to the Galápagos, and we went to the museum,” says the “A Beautiful Mind” filmmaker. “And in the museum, they had one whole room dedicated to this group of people, these strange outliers and the true crime thriller that they lived out. And it’s all we could talk about.” 

The story of these Floreana Island settlers — and the mysterious deaths and disappearances of some of them — is now told in Howard’s “Eden,” opening in theaters from Vertical on Friday, Aug. 22. The film stars Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Daniel Brühl, and Sydney Sweeney — the latter of whom was a last-minute addition to the cast.

“Somebody had to leave the movie in the Sydney Sweeney role, due to a scheduling change,” says Howard. “We were making this movie in and around the actors’ strike — we were an independent movie, we had a waiver —  but then the strike was resolved, and some people had commitments. So, the last person cast was Sydney Sweeney. I had no idea what a great, hard worker she is.”

Howard is also a current Primetime Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, thanks to his appearance on the acclaimed Apple TV+ series “The Studio.”

“I laugh every time I hear the ‘Emmy nominee,’ because I had so much fun on ‘The Studio,’” says Howard. “I was kind of playing a version of myself. So, I don’t even know … do I really qualify as an Emmy nominee?”

For more information on “Eden,” click here — and click the video player in this article to hear more of our interview with Ron Howard.