Clint Eastwood “couldn’t make it” to the Sunday night world premiere of “Juror #2,” the 40th film he’s directed in his seven-decade career, though the film’s cast and the premiere’s organizers paid tribute to him, saying, “We love you Clint!”
While the 94-year-old screen legend skipped the premiere at the historic TCL Chinese Theaters in Hollywood, for reasons not specified, his daughter, Francesca Eastwood, walked the red carpet, according to Variety and the Daily Mail. She has a role in her father’s legal thriller, though her recent arrest on domestic violence charges made her a somewhat complicated person to represent the Eastwood family or to appear with the rest of the cast.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 27: Francesca Eastwood attends the closing night gala premiere of “Juror #2” during the 2024 AFI Fest at TCL Chinese Theatre on October 27, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
There’s also controversy related to the minimal fanfare Warner Bros. is giving to the release of “Juror #2,” which could be Eastwood’s final film, given his age, Variety also has reported. The film will screen in fewer than 50 theaters nationwide this weekend, with no current plans to expand to more locations and no dates announced for when it might be released on a streaming service.
The “less than distinguished treatment” Warner Bros. is giving “Juror #2” is even more puzzling, given that Eastwood’s films also typically deliver at the box office, whether he’s starring in them or directing them. Moreover, “Juror #2” has thus far received positive reviews from critics who attended the premiere at AFI Fest. Deadline’s Pete Hammond said that, at 94, the Oscar-winning filmmaker “still has it” in delivering a classic courtroom story that is “a riveting suspenseful thriller,” “one of the most most compelling human dramas of his career” and one of the best movies of 2024.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 27: (L-R) Cedric Yarbrough, Zoey Deutch, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, Leslie Bibb, Gabriel Basso and Francesca Eastwood attend the closing night gala premiere of “Juror #2” during the 2024 AFI Fest at TCL Chinese Theatre on October 27, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
“Juror #2” stars Nicholas Hoult as a family man grappling with recent sobriety, according to Variety. “A nuisance jury duty assignment brings him face-to-face with a horrible incident from his past, one that forces moral and criminal dilemmas throughout a contentious murder trial,” as Variety reported. The film also stars Toni Colette as a prosecutor, with Kiefer Sutherland, J.K. Simmons and Francesca Eastwood rounding out the cast.
At the premiere, AFI president Bob Gazzale informed disappointed fans that Eastwood “could not be here with us tonight, but we are here for him.” Collette and Hoult then paid tribute to Eastwood, with Collette saying that he “is a truly good, solid human being. Getting to know him has been incredible.”
Hoult shared his nervousness about auditioning for Eastwood, and he and Collette recorded a video message for the director. Collette and …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
