FILM 2200: RUNAWAY JURY (2003)

TRIVIA: This is Gene Hackman's and Dustin Hoffman's first film together. At the Pasadena Playhouse, they were classmates, and were both voted "Least Likely to Succeed".

This is the tenth movie starring John Cusack and Jeremy Piven.

In 1997, Edward Norton was originally cast in the role of Nicholas Easter with Joel Schumacher directing. Sir Sean Connery and Gwyneth Paltrow were cast in the roles of Fitch and Marlee, respectively. But when Schumacher dropped out of the project, and it was delayed, the actors moved on to other projects. The project was revived in 2001 when Will Smith was in talks to play Nicholas Easter, with Jennifer Connelly as Marlee, and Mike Newell directing. But Smith dropped out and the project was again stalled.

Joel Schumacher was originally attached to direct, largely at the insistence of John Grisham. The author had been pleased with the way Schumacher had handled two of his properties, A Time to Kill (1996) and The Client (1994).

While the notion of infiltrating a jury in the manner of Nicholas Easter is obviously intriguing, various systems exist to prevent it. For example, in most jurisdictions (including New Orelans), prospective jurors are required to have permanently resided within that jurisdiction for at least one year prior to selection.

The film cast includes three Oscar winners: Rachel Weisz, Gene Hackman, and Dustin Hoffman; and one Oscar nominee: Bruce Davison.

After being in development for several years, director Alfonso Cuarón became attached to direct and co-write the film. He ended up leaving the project a few months after that.

During the jury selection for the trial involving the manufacturer of a gun used in a mass shooting by an active shooter, potential juror Nick Easter (John Cusack) states his desire to avoid being impanelled so he could compete in a John Madden Football video game competition. In August 2018, a losing competitor at the EA's Madden NFL tournament, killed two people, shot eleven others, and then committed suicide.

This is the third John Grisham film in which Gene Hackman appeared. The others being The Firm (1993) and The Chamber (1996).

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