Clint Eastwood snubs premiere of his own film after it was ‘buried’
Fans fear Juror No 2, potentially the director’s last project, is being brushed under the carpet by getting only a limited US release.
The premiere this week of Juror No 2, directed by Clint Eastwood, was like hundreds of others at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard – photographers shouted to get the attention of stars, while journalists pleaded for them to answer a question or two.
One piece of the picture was missing, however: Eastwood. At 94, perhaps the Oscar-winning director preferred a night in.
But his fans were not convinced. In a plot twist that could have come from one of his films, they believed that Eastwood was sending a message to Warner Bros.
There is speculation that the film, starring Nicholas Hoult and Toni Collette, could be Eastwood’s last work before he retires. The courtroom drama is being given only a limited release in a few cinemas across America, a move that severely restricts its box-office potential.
In the words of Variety, the Hollywood trade magazine, the movie is being “buried”. Eastwood’s supporters say this is no way to treat a Hollywood legend who has been loyal to Warner Bros for decades and fear his possible swansong is being brushed under the carpet.
Andrew Patrick Nelson, a film historian and chief curator of Scottsdale’s Museum of the West in Arizona, said: “It seems odd that an actor and director who has made billions of dollars for a studio would have his potentially final film released in such a limited fashion.”
Warner Bros and Eastwood have been contacted for comment.
The limited release may be a result of belt-tightening during a volatile period. The studio’s parent company reported a near $US10 billion ($15bn) loss in August as the industry struggled to recover from the pandemic.
Sources at Warner Bros told Variety that it was a sign of respect to Eastwood that Juror No 2 was getting a theatrical release at all, rather than being pushed straight to streaming.
“He is a singular figure in the history of American cinema, not only because of his longevity but because of his consistent artistry,” Nelson said. “There just isn’t anyone comparable who achieved so much as a performer, a director, a producer and a musician. Love him or hate him, he’s one of a kind.”
For many film fans, Eastwood will forever be linked with the western genre. After getting his big break in the television series Rawhide, he moved to the big screen with a series of Sergio Leone-directed spaghetti westerns beginning in 1964 with A Fistful of Dollars.
The Dollars trilogy put its leading man on the path to becoming the most important westerns actor since John Wayne. Eastwood went on to appear in action movies, comedies and romances. He was also a success behind the camera, winning Academy Awards for best director for Unforgiven in 1992 and Million Dollar Baby in 2004. Juror No 2 is his eighth film in ten years, a remarkable output.
They include American Sniper, Sully and The Mule – all box-office hits. Cry Macho, however, Eastwood’s film before Juror No 2, flopped during the pandemic in 2021.
After that, David Zaslav, 64, chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, was reported to have reminded his executives that sentiment should have no place in Hollywood. He said: “It’s not show friends, it’s show business.”
The Times
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