It was a big deal when the legendary actor and director Clint Eastwood not only took on “the book,” but that he brought it all to the city it depicted, Savannah. And while the critical response was less than overwhelming, it was all still pretty exciting. Now Eastwood is coming back to the Hostess City of the South.
Clint Eastwood’s next film, Juror #2, is set to film in Savannah and Los Angeles. At age 92, he has found his leads which include Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, and Zoey Deutch. The film will follow Hoult’s character, Justin Kemp, who is a juror in a murder trial who discovers he could have caused the victim’s death. Hoult’s character struggles with deciding whether to save himself by manipulating the jury or turning himself in. Collette is set to play the prosecutor.
While the movie was supposed to start shooting in June, that date me be fluid because of the WGA writers’ strike, so it’s unclear if the filming timeline will shift.
Eastwood has been trying to cast the flick since last year, and at one point, Charlize Theron was in the running for the lead role. One thing that isn’t an issue is Eastwood’s age. The director, who will turn 93 before filming begins, has insisted that he never thinks about his age when he’s working.
“I never think about it,” Eastwood answers. “If I’m not the same guy, I don’t want to know anything about it. I might not like the new guy. I might think, ‘What am I doing with this idiot?’” But the director tells the Los Angeles Times that his reason for continuing to work is simple. “I just like it,” Eastwood says. “I have nothing against other directors. But I might have a whole different take on things, and I don’t want to be thinking, ‘Why did I give it to him?’”
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Legendary actor and director Clint Eastwood was seen on set in Savannah this week.
Eastwood, 93, is in town filming his thriller “Juror #2.”
“During a high-profile murder trial, one of the jurors, family man Justin Kemp, seeks to protect the defendant without putting himself in jeopardy as he progressively realizes he killed the victim in a careless driving accident,” a description from IMDB reads.
He was spotted on 40th Street and is said to be filming in the area until next Wednesday.
According to IMDB, Eastwood will be starring in the film alongside Nicholas Hoult as Justin Kemp. Zoey Deutch, Toni Collette and Kiefer Sutherland are also listed as cast members.
A report from The Hollywood Reporter suggests that this could be Eastwood’s final film “to ride off into the sunset with his head held high.”
Notably for the Hostess City, Eastwood directed “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” the 1997 adaptation of John Berendt’s book known as the “Savannah Story.”