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Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix stars as a small-town sheriff, Joe Cross, in the upcoming Western black-comedy Eddington. The film, written and directed by Ari Aster, will release in theaters across the United States on July 18, 2025. The production companies involved in the project are Square Peg, 828 Productions, and A24, with the latter also set to distribute the film across North America.
The synopsis for the film, as per A24, reads:
"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."
Eddington has received an R rating by the Motion Picture Association of America for strong violence, grisly images, language, and nudity. The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year on May 16, as part of the film competition.
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Who is Joe Cross? A glance at Joaquin Phoenix's character
In the neo-Western black-comedy Eddington, Joaquin Phoenix portrays the role of a sheriff named Joe Cross. The story, set during the COVID-19 pandemic, focuses on the rivalry between Joaquin's character, the sheriff, and the town's mayor, Ted Garcia, portrayed by Pedro Pascal.
As seen in the trailer released by A24, Sheriff Cross tries to keep the crowd under control during the pandemic. In the film, Cross is against the rules set during the pandemic, which include wearing masks at all times, while Ted is an active supporter of wearing masks and the social distancing norms set during the period.
Ted is also trying to bring in wealth and provide financial relief to the drought-stricken town by working with the governor of New Mexico to establish an AI data center in the town. Many residents, however, believe it to be a further drain on their resources and protest against it. As a result of their conflicting ideologies, Cross decides to run for the mayoral seat of his town, standing in the election against Ted.
The film is packed with action, glimpses of which are also shown in the trailer. In one of the scenes, Joaquin Phoenix's character is seen firing a gun while seriously injured.
The black-comedy features an ensemble cast that also includes Deirdre O’Connell, Austin Butler, Emma Stone, Micheal Ward, and Luke Grimes. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film has received a positive rating of 67% based on 54 reviews from critics so far.
Joaquin Phoenix's career before Eddington
Joaquin Phoenix made his acting debut alongside his brother on the after-school special Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia. Joaquin later moved on to the big screen, starring in the 1986 film SpaceCamp. He rose to prominence following his portrayal of Commodus in Ridley Scott's 2000 historical drama film Gladiator, for which he received critical acclaim and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Some of Joaquin's well-known projects include 8mm, Quills, You Were Never Really Here, Her, Napoleon, Beau is Afraid, and Joker. For the latter, Joaquin received an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as the titular character. He has also received a Grammy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of musician Johnny Cash in the biopic Walk the Line.
Stay tuned for further updates.
