Legendary director Clint Eastwood’s purported final movie, Juror No. 2, will open in select theatres on November 1, just days after it makes its world premiere at the 38th AFI Fest, where it will close the festival, but it’s as yet unknown if the movie will get a wide release. The plot of Juror No. 2 centers on a juror who slowly comes to realize that he may be responsible for the very murder at the heart of the trial he’s sitting on. The legal drama delves into deep moral questions, where the lines between guilt, responsibility, and justice are blurred. The film features a stellar cast, including Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, Zoey Deutch, Eastwood’s daughter Francesca Eastwood, and J.K. Simmons.
“There is only one Clint Eastwood — and AFI is proud to present the World Premiere of this next chapter in his historic canon,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “We are honored to bring the community together once again – artists and audiences – to celebrate an American icon.”
Simmons Jumped at the Opportunity To Join a Clint Eastwood Movie
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Whiplash, Collider’s Steve Weintraub recently sat down with Damien Chazelle and J.K. Simmons at the Toronto International Film Festival to discuss not only their iconic film but also some of their upcoming projects. Simmons has what he described as a “nice sized part” in Eastwood’s Juror No. 2, positioned as the Hollywood icon’s final film. During the interview, Simmons opened up about what it was like to work with the legendary director. When asked about his experience making Juror No. 2, Simmons didn’t hesitate to express his excitement. He told Collider:
“It was fantastic. When my wonderful agent sent it to me, he was like, ‘Eh, it’s not a great part, probably a pass.’ I read it, and it’s a very nice medium-small, little supporting part in it, but I was like, ‘Are you kidding me? It’s a Clint Eastwood movie. Am I gonna not do a movie with Clint Eastwood?’”
Though Simmons acknowledged that his role wasn’t large, the opportunity to work with Eastwood was an immediate draw. He emphasized that joining a project led by a filmmaking legend like Eastwood wasn’t something that required a great deal of thought. For Simmons, getting to work with such a talented group under Eastwood’s direction was a “no-brainer.” Simmons also talked about how production was interrupted by the SAG-AFTRA strike. The team initially didn’t expect the strike to halt the film’s progress, but it inevitably did. “We were in week three before the strike. First of all, we thought, ‘There’s not gonna be a strike,’ and second of all, because I’m a naive idiot, I was thinking like, ‘They’re not gonna stop Clint Eastwood from making a movie!’”
Despite the disruption, Simmons noted that the experience of filming in Savannah, Georgia, was wonderful, and he’s eagerly awaiting the final cut of the movie. “We didn’t go back to work until October and finished the film… I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I’m excited about it.”
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on Juror No. 2. In the meantime, Whiplash is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.