Clint Eastwood didn’t attend “Jury” duty in Los Angeles on Sunday, but that didn’t stop his co-stars and a few hundred moviegoers from sending him well-wishes.

The last movie of the 94-year-old cinema legend is “Jury No. 2” was the closing night gala screening of this year’s AFI Fest. At the top of the program, which was held at the historic TCL Chinese Theaters, AFI president Bob Gazzale informed disappointed fans that Eastwood “can’t be here with us tonight, but we’re here for him.”

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Gazzale introduced “Juror No. 2” stars Toni Collette and Nicholas Hoult after noting his dozens of film credits, including the “Dirty Harry” franchise and directorial work such as “Richard Jewell” and “Play Misty for Me.” Collette recalled that the duo last appeared on screen together 22 years ago in the 2002 film “About a Boy.”

Collette said she was honored to work with Eastwood: “It still surprises me as a director… but he’s a really good, solid person. It was incredible to get to know him.” Hoult asked the audience to “Jury No. He shared his frustrations about Eastwood and the auditions for “The Juror” before joking that they wouldn’t get much of the new movie unless they watched 1. The duo later recorded a video message for Eastwood at the behest of a producer, and the producer said the director would be happy with it. Collette and Hoult had the audience chanting, “We love you, Clint!”

for the 40th^he Directed by Eastwood, the film tells the story of a family man (Hoult) struggling with recent sobriety issues and his wife (Zoey Deutch) recovering from a high-risk pregnancy. A troublesome jury duty assignment brings him face to face with a terrifying event from his past; an event that leads to moral and criminal dilemmas throughout a contentious murder case. Colette plays a tough prosecutor running for political office. Kiefer Sutherland, Chris Messina, Leslie Bibb, JK Simmons and Adrienne C. Moore complete the cast.

If AFI Fest audiences felt minimal fanfare at the Sunday premiere, local audiences can soon expect the same. Last week, Diversity reported in depth Warner Bros. about his project’s small theatrical release footprint. The studio will debut “Jury No. 2” in fewer than 50 theaters this weekend, but has no plans to expand to more locations in the coming weeks, sources said. It’s unlikely that Warner Bros. will report box office earnings for the film either; This is a rare but unheard of practice in the current market. “Jury No. 2” currently does not have a release date for PVOD or a release date on Max.

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