Clint Eastwood Returns to the Big Screen with First Acting Role in Six Years

Clint Eastwood is returning to the big screen with his first acting role since 2012 — and the trailer for the upcoming film has now dropped.

“The Mule,” which Eastwood also directed, is based on the true story of a 90-year-old horticulturist who ends up transporting drugs for the Mexican cartel.

Eastwood, 88, takes on the lead role in the film, which also stars Bradley Cooper, Michael Peña, Taissa Farmiga, Laurence Fishburne, Clifton Collins Jr., Dianne Wiest, and Eastwood’s own daughter, Alison.

“The Mule” was written by Nick Schenk (“Gran Torino”), and it hits theaters on December 14, a good date for it to get some Oscar attention.

The release date of “The Mule” was a surprise to many when word came out last week, since Eastwood’s film was only announced earlier this year.

The director’s last movie, “The 15:17 to Paris,” hit theaters in February of this year.

Eastwood, however, is known as one of the most prolific and fastest filmmakers in Hollywood.

Eastwood’s last acting role was in 2012’s “Trouble with the Curve,” a film he did not direct.

The last time he acted before that was in 2008’s “Gran Torino,” which he said at the time would likely be his last acting role.

There are a lot of reasons to be excited for this new film. It’s not just the fact that Eastwood is stepping in front of the camera again.

“American Sniper” (2014) became the director’s highest-grossing film by earning over $350 million domestically and nearly $550 million worldwide.

The filmmaker has been on a bit of a hot streak in recent years, creating some of his most successful films.

“American Sniper” (2014) became the director’s highest-grossing film by earning over $350 million domestically and nearly $550 million worldwide. The movie was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Bradley Cooper, who starred as late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle.

The film went on to win the Oscar for Best Sound Editing.

“Sully” (2016), which starred Tom Hanks as the famous pilot Chesley Sullenberger, grossed over $125 million domestically and over $240 million worldwide. It was nominated for the Best Sound Editing Academy Award.

Eastwood’s most recent film, “15:17 to Paris,” was his least successful in years, but it gained a lot of attention and praise for casting the real-life heroes who stopped a terrorist attack on a Paris-bound train in 2015.

The movie grossed only $36.3 million domestically, but it also carried a production budget of just $30 million.

Check out the trailer for Clint Eastwood’s “The Mule,” below: