Ron Howard was riddled with nerves over stepping into unfamiliar territory with his new film Eden

Speaking at a Cinema Society screening in New York City about how Eden had pushed him outside of his usual filmmaking style, he said: "This movie was a big creative risk. It was outside my comfort zone."

He added: "Most of my movies are celebratory, while this project is a cautionary tale. It's a true crime thriller and I'm so proud of it."

Eden, which stars Jude Law, 51, Sydney Sweeney, 27, and Ana de Armas, 37, follows the real-life story of a group of European expatriates who attempted to build a new life on Floreana, one of Ecuador's Galápagos Islands.

The settlers soon discovered their biggest threat was not the harsh environment but each other.

Ron, maybe best known for directing The Da Vinci Code, said he first encountered the extraordinary tale on a family holiday about 15 years ago.

He added: "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.

"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."

Alongside the release of Eden, Ron reflected on personal and professional milestones this year.

He said: "It's my 50th wedding anniversary, the 40th anniversary of the formation of Imagine Entertainment with Brian Grazer, it's the 30th anniversary of Apollo 13... and I got an Emmy nomination in the guest actor category. So it's kind of been an amazing year."

Ron first rose to prominence playing Opie in The Andy Griffith Show in the 1960s before starring in Happy Days in the 1970s and '80s.

He credited his parents, actors Rance Howard and Jean Howard, with instilling in him a respect for the profession.

Ron said: "I've been blessed in the fact that I've loved the process of working on shows, movies, telling stories.

"I saw them struggle, and I recognized what a gift the opportunities that were coming to me were."

Ron's wife Cheryl Howard is also an actress, and their daughter Bryce Dallas Howard has followed her parents into acting and directing.

Ron, who won two Oscars in 2002 for directing and producing A Beautiful Mind, added: "I never took that for granted. I loved it. I'm a lucky son of a b****!"

Guests at the New York screening and afterparty, held at The Fulton by Jean-Georges, included Gayle King, Keegan-Michael Key, Lorraine Toussaint, Christopher McDonald, Gina Gershon, Danny Strong and Richard Kind.