Ron Howard’s TIFF Thriller ‘Eden’ Acquired By Vertical For Late Summer U.S. Theatrical Release

EXCLUSIVE: The Ron Howard-directed survival thriller Eden has been acquired in a U.S. rights deal by Vertical, with the distributor plotting an August 22 nationwide theatrical release.

Scripted by Noah Pink (Tetris) from a fact-based story he wrote with Howard, the drama from Imagine Entertainment and AGC Studios stars Jude Law (The Order), Ana de Armas (Ballerina), Vanessa Kirby (The Fantastic Four: First Steps), Daniel Brühl (All Quiet on the Western Front), Sydney Sweeney (Immaculate), Toby Wallace and Felix Kammerer (All Quiet on the Western Front). They are the members of three parties who flee post-WWI civilization to start over and build paradise on the Galapagos Islands. It becomes a battle to survive the harsh elements, and each other. Bodies pile up.

The deal brings to an end an unexpectedly difficult road the film traveled in finding its way to a theatrical audience, considering its stellar cast, and the Oscar-winner Howard making his narrative follow to the acclaimed Thirteen Lives, another fact-based survival tale.

Eden went into Toronto last fall as one of the festival’s highest profile premiere titles, a tale Howard has wanted to tell since visiting the Galapagos on a family outing and hearing the story about 15 years ago. Pic suffered a tough break when, shortly into the premiere showing at Roy Thomson Hall when the propulsive narrative was just taking off, the film had to be halted and the lights turned back on because of a medical emergency suffered by a ticketholder. Eden never quite recaptured its momentum after the lengthy stoppage. Add to that the general wariness of distributors to take the plunge on an adult-themed survival thriller — even with that cast and a score by two-time Oscar winner Hans Zimmer — and it was a disheartening outcome. But a good movie is a good movie, and now Eden will get to prove itself before a theatrical audience.

“Thanks to our partners at AGC Studios, Vertical, and our amazing team at Imagine Entertainment, I’m thrilled to be able to share Eden with audiences in the U.S.,” Howard said in a statement. “This story has been a passion project for me for years, rooted in the incredible true events of three wildly different groups of people who chose to leave modern society behind and recreate themselves on an uninhabited island in the Galapagos. The complexity of the characters and the collision of personalities that resulted are what drew me in, and I hope audiences connect with the profound themes of survival and human nature. It’s a story that feels so relevant today, and I’m excited for audiences to experience it on the big screen.”

AGC Studios Chairman/CEO Stuart Ford said the filmmaking team was “delighted at Vertical’s passion for the film and at their belief in the theatrical experience. We hope that US cinema audiences are going to be surprised and delighted at this dazzling, edgy and ultimately shocking story that Ron, Imagine and this amazing cast have boldly brought to the big screen.”

Vertical partner Peter Jarowey said the distributor “couldn’t be more excited to bring Eden to U.S. audiences. Ron Howard, a legendary filmmaker, delivers a masterful vision at the peak of his craft. It’s a thrill to reunite with our friends at AGC and Jude following last year’s The Order campaign, and we can’t wait to collaborate with the exceptional talents of Ana, Vanessa, Daniel, and Sydney.”

Eden is produced by Howard, Brian Grazer, Karen Lunder, Ford, William M. Connor, and Patrick Newall. The exec producers are Miguel Palos, Zach Garrett, Craig McMahon, Noah Pink, Mathias Herndl, Namit Malhotra, David Taghioff, Masha Magonova, and Matt Murphie.

AGC and Library Pictures International are principal financiers with additional financing by Medan Pictures, Copper Island Films and Elevate Production Finance and support from the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy, the City of Gold Coast and the Australian Federal Government’s Location Offset.  

The deal was negotiated by Jarowey and SVP of Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi on behalf of Vertical, AGC EVP of Legal & Business Affairs Anant Tamirisa negotiated for AGC Studios, and CAA Media Finance.