Ron Howard’s Eden is a historical survival thriller set in the 1930s. Starring Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Sydney Sweeney, and Daniel Brühl,, the film is based on the true story of European settlers who, after World War I, moved to the remote islands in the Galápagos, Ecuador, to start a new life.
The film was initially screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024, before releasing in European theatres in April 2025. It premiered at TIFF on September 7, 2024, opened in Germany on April 3, 2025, Italy on April 10, 2025, and in U.S. theaters on August 22, 2025 (Vertical). The movie was widely talked about for its gripping plot and stunning locations.
Eden Filming Locations
Filming began on November 27, 2023, with production based on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Principal photography took place in Queensland, with a small unit shooting plates in the Galápagos that were incorporated as set extensions.
Australian Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Most of the scenes were shot on Australia’s Gold Coast, which is known for its variety of filming spots and landscapes. This location was chosen to recreate the remote and rugged landscape of Floreana Island. Many set-based sequences were filmed at Village Roadshow Studios, Oxenford—home to major productions including Aquaman and Elvis.
In an interview with Motion Pictures Association, Ron Howard mentioned that for the film, he did scout the Galápagos, but we couldn’t film there because it’s a nature reserve. It’s tremendously limited, and it would be wildly expensive. He added that they also visited the Canary Islands and scouted Puerto Rico. But the kind of desert island foliage they wanted, they found it in Queensland. They combined set dressing with set extensions, using plates shot in the Galápagos and blended those real images with the studio set to make it look real.
Two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker was quoted as saying,
“I did scout the Galápagos, but we couldn’t film there because it’s a nature reserve. It’s tremendously limited, and it would be wildly expensive.”
“One of the producers, Bill Connor, and I started saying, ‘Didn’t we see this terrain in Australia?’ so we were like, ‘Let’s go check out Queensland.’ We also visited the Canary Islands and scouted Puerto Rico. However, it was in Queensland that we immediately found the kind of desert island foliage. With a bit of set dressing and some set extensions achievable through shooting plates in the Galápagos, it looked right.”
“Combine that with a great tax incentive and an infrastructure of talented people, and we could make our movie there efficiently and effectively.”
