Clint Eastwood‘s legal thriller Juror #2 has been set to begin streaming exclusively on Max on Friday, December 20. News of the premiere date follows the film’s quite limited theatrical release on November 1 to less than 50 theaters nationwide. The move saw distributor Warner Bros. Pictures draw criticism from many corners for not properly supporting perhaps one of the final films of a legendary 94-year-old director – a project that has also happened to garner positive reviews, from someone with a longstanding history with the studio. Among the prominent voices in the filmmaking community who have advocated on Eastwood’s behalf is Guillermo del Toro, who recently took to rising social platform Blue Sky to discuss his experience with the film. Said Del Toro in part, “We saw [the film] at the Grove with a significant crowd that was vocal and responsive all the way. I truly hope WB can hold it longer. Eastwood is a master filmmaker and the steady, unfussy craft reveals him still in great form. Go see it on the big screen!” In any case, Juror #2 should clean up in holiday viewing when it drops on Max ahead of Christmas. Written by Jonathan Abrams (Escape Plan), the film follows family man Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) who, while serving as a juror in a high-profile murder trial, finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma…one he could use to sway the jury verdict and potentially convict – or free – the accused killer.

Toni’s fourth an final appearance on “The Rosie O’Donnell Show” has been added by the show’s Youtube channel in wonderful quality. In this episode from June 07, 2000, Toni promotes the theatrical release of “Shaft”, talks about her Tony nomination and “The Wild Party”, which was in its closing week back then, and living in New York. Another wonderful great blast from the past.

Oscar-winning Parasite director Bong Joon Ho‘s Mickey 17 is on the move again. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. announced Wednesday it is pushing back the film’s release from Jan. 31, 2025, to April 18, 2025. Mickey 17 will be released in Imax theaters globally. More and more, premium large-format screens are contributing a huge percentage of a film’s earnings, so are in high demand. “When the April 18 date became available, we quickly moved to secure it for Mickey 17. We’re thrilled with the new date, and very happy the film will be available to audiences in IMAX,” a studio spokesperson said in a statement. Robert Pattinson stars in the adaptation of the 2022 novel Mickey 7, from author Edward Ashton. In the novel, Mickey 7 is a space colonist known as an expendable. (In fact, he is the seventh iteration of a man named Mickey Barnes.) Each colony features an expendable, a crewmember who takes deadly jobs but who are then restored via clone bodies when they die. Ashton published the sequel, Antimatter Blues, last year. Director Bong is expected to put his own trademark spin on the source material, with the film also starring Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo. Plan B Entertainment is producing, with Dooho Choi of Kate Street Picture Company, and Bong via his Offscreen, Inc. banner.

In an article on the box office disappointments for adult-themed dramas this year (namely Robert Zemeckis’ “Here” and Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis”), The Hollywood Reporter shares some insight on Warner Bros. decision to release “Juror #2” only in limited release: Looking at the landscape when it comes to adult dramas, Warner Bros. Discovery took a different tact and decided from the outset to make the courtroom thriller for Max with Eastwood’s okay. The movie also opened over the Nov. 1-3 weekend opposite Here in a smattering of U.S. cities after being selected as the closing night for the AFI Film Fest, but anyone who is curious about how it did won’t be able to find out, since it was only an awards qualifying run and no grosses were reported. Insiders say it played in roughly 35 theaters. The pic was screened for some reviewers, and sports a stellar 91 percent fresh critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, prompting box office bloggers to predict that Warners will surely change its mind and give the movie a true theatrical run. According to several sources who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter, that isn’t in the cards. The plan remains to send the film, starring Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J.K. Simmons and Paul Bettany, to Max over the Christmas holidays (the streamer has not announced an exact date). The film’s budget is reportedly less than $35 million; a nationwide theatrical release would tack on tens of millions in marketing costs. Theatrical versus streaming is a touchy subject for WBD in the aftermath of “Project Popcorn,” which was orchestrated by the prior regime of Jason Kilar and gave all 2021 films a dual day-and-date release in cinemas and on Max in a surprise move that enraged talent and cinemas. By avoiding a theatrical release, Eastwood and Warners can avoid any bad press Zemeckis and Hanks are having to endure over Here should Juror #2 have disappointed. The complete article can be read over here.

With Friday’s limited release of “Juror #2”, Toni Collette and Nicholas Hoult have participated in a press tour to promote the release of the film. They were interviewed on ABC Nightline and Extra – both appearances can be found in the video archive. There are also first production stills and on-set pictures from the film. All updates can be found below. Enjoy.

USA Today has a nice interview and photo shoot with Toni Collette and Nicholas Hoult on “Juror #2″: Toni Collette played a mom in movies before she was one in real life, so she’s paid special attention to the career rise of her “About a Boy” co-star Nicholas Hoult. Twenty-two years after appearing with Hugh Grant in the coming-of-age dramedy, Hoult and Collette got a kick out of being cast together again in director Clint Eastwood’s new courtroom drama “Juror #2” (in select theaters Friday). And on their first day of filming – in a moment of emotion and confrontation – Collette felt very much in the scene but also “like a proud mother.” “Like, oh, my God, look at my boy go! He was so good,” she recalls in an interview alongside Hoult. “He’s become like this incredible actor.” The complete interview can be read over at USA Today.