Ron Howard reveals story behind the 'Eden idea'

Eden is the latest film by Ron Howard, who had bagged an Oscar for directing A Beautiful Mind, which is about the lead character trying to get free of his trauma.

But his latest movie is a story about betrayal and power struggle on a Galápagos island.

Inspiration for the story, the filmmaker shared, came on a family trip to those islands in the Pacific Ocean, in particular, a visit to a museum there fifteen years ago.

"We went to the Museum of the Galápagos, and one entire room was dedicated to this true crime thriller, and the story was so fascinating," he recalled. 

The stories were about European settlers arriving on Floreana Island, as the filmmaker recounted, "I started reading everything that I could; it’s all we talked about at dinner. I was so intrigued by it."

"I literally started thumbing out a movie outline on my BlackBerry," the director added.

Elsewhere in the interview, Ron admitted he took a gamble while making a thriller like Eden.

"This movie was a big creative risk," he said, who is best known for biographical dramas such as Frost/Nixon and Apollo. "It was outside my comfort zone."

Contrasting Eden with his past work, Ron said many films of his were "celebratory" but his flick is a "cautionary tale," adding, "It’s a true crime thriller and I’m so proud of it."

Starring Jude Law, Sydney Sweeney, Ana de Armas, and Daniel Bruhl in lead roles, the film's logline reads that "a group of European expats who settle on Floreana, part of the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador."

Eden is playing in cinemas now.