This is news to me. If he says the plan is to release "15:17" later this year then does that mean Warner Bros. is aiming at a December release?
"At his office on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, Eastwood is busy these days refining the shooting schedule, while his casting directors are choosing the actors, costumers are picking the outfits, and set designers are planning the shots — all routine tasks for a major Hollywood picture. But the film, “The 15:17 to Paris,” which Eastwood says will probably be released later this year, has a story that promises to be unprecedented in its heart-stopping impact, yet which carries a timeless message of people putting their lives on the line to protect others."
Eastwood has now directed 14 movies after the age of 70. Has any director come close to that feat at this late stage in their career? He is still making relevant films at the near twilight of his career. Case in point: "American Sniper" and "Sully." Both had the classicism of old-school Hollywood filmmaking, and yet, they felt vitally alive and current. The resonant theme that binds both is the cost of hero worship. Both films have male characters who feel isolated and flawed, despite being deemed heroes by those around them. It looks like "The 15:17 to Paris" will be treading that line as well.
In a career that spans more than 50 years in the director's chair, Eastwood keeps honing his craft and, as Time's late great film critic Richard Corliss said, he makes it seem "as if the story is telling itself." Who else can pull off that kind of classic simplicity these days?