Sydney Sweeney’s career has been full of sharp turns lately, from Euphoria (available with an HBO Max subscription) to rom-com stardom in Anyone But You and, most recently, her neo-western 2025 movie schedule release, Americana. The Madame Web star’s next project may be her boldest. Sweeney will lead Eden, Ron Howard’s dark new thriller that’s already got people talking, not just for its true crime roots, but for the way it’s pushing both Sweeney and Howard into new creative territory.
In a recent interview with Screen Rant, Howard, alongside star Jude Law, shared that Eden is unlike the kinds of real-life stories he’s famous for adapting. Some of his best films, such as Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, often celebrated resilience and triumph, but Eden is a cautionary tale. The director explained:
This is a thriller that's darker. It's a little surprising for audiences, and I had to step outside my comfort zone a little bit, which is why I wanted a screenplay that would attract courageous actors who were willing to make the kind of commitment and make the film on a lower budget. I never felt this should be a studio film. I think we made it in the appropriate manner with the kind of passion and commitment that goes along with that.
The child star-turned filmmaker also described why the story has stuck with him for years, calling it a true crime thriller that keeps viewers guessing until the very end. Unlike the celebratory arcs in much of his earlier work, and though it's not on our list of upcoming horror movies, despite having a brutal birthing scene, Eden is designed to leave audiences unsettled and questioning what they just watched. He continued:
It's part of the reason that that story stayed with me all these years from the first time that I heard about it because hey, it's a true crime thriller. You really don't know what's going to happen next. The other reason I really wanted it to be a movie [is] because I really wanted it to be one of those things where you go on the ride, the questions are swirling around what's going to happen next, and then you experience it and you go home and think about it.
That change in tone shaped how Ron Howard put his cast together, as he wanted performers who weren’t afraid to get a little messy and take risks. Enter Sydney Sweeney. She’s made a career out of bouncing between glossy blockbusters and roles that cut right down to the bone, so she feels like the perfect choice for a story that demands raw intensity without the safety net of studio polish. And when you stack her alongside Jude Law, Vanessa Kirby, and Ana de Armas, you can tell this cast wasn’t just assembled, but chosen to rise to the challenge.
After nearly fifty years behind the camera, Howard could easily stick to the kinds of inspiring movies based on a true story he’s already mastered. Instead, he chose to step into darker territory, telling a story about human nature turning destructive when survival is on the line. For Sweeney, the film doubles as another career move that proves she’s not afraid to push beyond expectations—and that she can hold her own alongside some of the industry’s most seasoned stars.
Eden premiered at TIFF in 2024 and is now reaching wider audiences in 2025. While reviews have been mixed, our own Eden review leaned more toward praise than criticism. Personally, what excites me about the film isn’t only its dark, true-crime subject matter, but the way it highlights Sydney Sweeney’s growing range while proving Ron Howard still isn’t afraid to take risks.
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