Gareth Edwards (center; pointing) directing on the set of “Jurassic World Rebirth.”
Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures
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Jurassic World Rebirth Original Ending: Mahershala Ali Died
SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot points, including the ending for “Jurassic World: Rebirth,” now playing in theaters.
“Jurassic World Rebirth” could have had a very different — and tragic — ending for one of its major characters.
Directed by Gareth Edwards, the film takes place five years after the events of 2022’s “Jurassic World Dominion” and centers on a group of mercenaries (Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali) and scientists (Jonathan Bailey). The crew ventures to the abandoned island Saint-Hubert, which was once home to the InGen research lab for cloning dinosaurs, on a mission to retrieve dino DNA that could lead to a cure for heart disease. Along the way, they encounter the Delgado family — a father (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), his two daughters (Luna Blaise and Audrina Miranda) and the elder girl’s boyfriend (David Iacono)— rescuing them after their sailboat gets sunk by dinosaurs in the open ocean.
And that’s just the first traumatic — albeit, thrilling — run-in with the formerly extinct, and genetically mutated, species which roam freely around the tropical locale. What follows are two more hours of close encounters of the mutant dino kind as the cast of characters races to finish the mission and get off the island alive.
In the film’s epic finale, the characters attempt to escape by boat, but come face-to-face with their most terrifying foe yet — the Distortus rex, which has already savagely chomped their rescue helicopter out of the sky. Ali’s character, Duncan, decides to create a distraction, sacrificing himself so his friends — and in particular, the young kids — will survive. He lights a flare and the D-rex chases him into the water. Then, the flare goes out.
Moments later, another flare shoots into the sky. Duncan lives! And all the survivors are rescued and return home with a new lease on life.
However, that wasn’t always the intended ending. “The draft I first read, he died,” Edwards tells Variety, explaining that, at that point, Ali had not yet signed on to the film. But, once he did board the project, Ali sent in his thoughts. “Mahershala read it, and his only main note was, ‘Can we kill him?’ I agreed with him.”
Read on as Edwards details how he and Ali were ultimately outvoted on the ending by the studio and test-screening audiences, plus all the ways “Rebirth” pays homage to maestro Steven Spielberg — from incorporating the original “Jurassic Park” score to nods to “Jaws,” and how even “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” factors in — and whether he’s ready to take on more dinosaurs in a sequel.
I read that one of your initial reactions to the script was mildly negative, and that you were ready to say ‘No,’ but by the time you got to the end, you had a change of heart. What was that turning point in the story?
The first point was the front cover. It said “written by David Koepp,” [Koepp wrote 1993’s
Jurassic Park” and its sequel, 1997’s “The Lost World.”]
I was hoping I wouldn’t like it because I wanted to have a break — I said to my girlfriend, “I want this to be an easy choice” — ideally, we’d go on holiday. But I disappeared into a room and started reading it, and I was like, “Oh, no. It’s really good.” It’s exactly the playground I want to play in as a filmmaker. There’s this sequence in there of the T-rex attacking the raft with this family in it, and that, on its own, was worth making the movie for.
That scene is pretty terrifying. When Isabella is under the capsized raft being attacked by the T-rex, I thought, ‘Oh my God, is Gareth going to do this? Is he going to kill her?” How did you find that balance of making people scared while not leaning too far into the shocks and gore?
It’s tricky because you want people to think you’re going to do it. You’ve walked into a family adventure movie with lots of families and their kids. So, can they and will they do this?
A lot of this was in the script, but you start to think of ingredients and ideas that could create interesting dilemmas or visuals. The second you’ve got a raft, and it flips, you think to yourself, “It could land on top of someone.” [Then, you think,] “OK, we’ve got to make that the little girl, and she’s screaming because she doesn’t know where it is.” It’s also a daylight scene. [Scary] scenes are a lot easier to make when it’s night because you can hide things. So having her trapped under the raft allowed that fear of the unknown, the thing you can’t see.
I also remember there was a conversation about the raft. The first raft they got was orange, and because of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” I wanted it to be yellow. These poor guys had to search around the world and find four yellow rafts.
You also fear for the main characters, Henry, Zora and Duncan, who all escape unscathed. Was Duncan, in particular, always going to survive? Or was there another outcome?
It flipped back and forth a couple of times. In the draft I first read, he died, and I thought, “That’s great!” We started to pursue Mahershala, and for whatever reason, it felt like, well, if we’re going to get Mahershala, we’ve got to keep him alive, right? But then Mahershala read it, and his only main note was, “Can we kill him?” I agreed, so I joined Team Mahershala and we both pushed to have him killed; the script changed back to him dying.
Whilst we were shooting, the studio said, “Look, we haven’t got time to do a pickup shoot or any reshoots. Just to be safe, get some material, just in case we need him to live.” In my mind, I know how this works; whatever we film will be in the movie, so you’ve got to be careful. I thought, “If we can do this, I want it to be the really classy version that I can live with,” so I started trying to imagine it and to picture some shots. The actors gave this amazing performance for this little section, and I really liked it.
But, when we edited the movie and did the director’s cut, I ended up sending the version that had him dying. It went well, but the studio said, “Oh, it’s great. But can we just see the version where he lives?” We hadn’t put it together, so we went back and edited that, and everyone just said, “It’s got to be that.” We did two test screenings, and the reaction to him living, everyone was a lot happier.
Mahershala Ali as Duncan Kincaid in “Jurassic World: Rebirth.”
Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures
I still wasn’t sure about it until the screening in New York. The moment where this flare appears revealing that he’s lived got this massive applause, and I felt a little tear welling in my eye. Hats off to the studio. I’m glad they made me shoot that extra little section because I think it’s probably the strongest part of the film.
I just didn’t want to feel like I was selling out by bringing him back. But if anything, I had to remind myself that there’s this film called “E.T.” where E.T. died, and then when he came back. So I kept reassuring myself: remember that movie you loved did this, it’s not a cop-out.
You’ve mentioned Steven Spielberg. I love the homages in the film, like hearing John Williams’ original “Jurassic Park” theme. What conversations did you have with your composer, Alexandre Desplat, about that?
One of the early things Alexandre said what that we should use the theme. At the time, I was like, “I don’t know. We’re just going to experiment.” We did try a version where we didn’t have the “Jurassic” theme at all, and it felt wrong. It felt like it was missing a bit of magic dust.
Then it was a game of, “If we only play it once, where do we put it?” My problem was that I wanted it in the end credits. When it cuts to the credits, that theme begins, but it’s not really in the movie. So, I thought we can use it twice. The Titanosaur became the obvious contender because that’s where you wanted the awe and majesty. That’s also where you remember and feel it in the original, when the Brachiosaurs are at the lake. It was just trial and error.
When we recorded it, it’s one of the “take to your grave” memories. We were at Abbey Road, and I had to go to CinemaCon during the recordings. I was frustrated because I wanted to be there every day. So, I said, “OK, do me one favor. Just don’t record the “Jurassic” theme whilst I’m away. Please don’t record it. Save it until I get back.” While I was away, I heard via text that they had recorded it, and I was really sad. It was a big misunderstanding, so when I got back, I got to sit, and they did the theme. As Alexandre was conducting, Conrad Pope, the orchestrator of the original “Jurassic Park,” was there, too. You sit on these steps where The Beatles recorded all their best albums and this John Williams theme unfolded, you could feel the orchestra and how they got into this for a living because of John Williams.
Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment
The Mosasaurus scene is another homage to Spielberg — this time “Jaws,” which just turned 50. Can you talk about what went into that?
I started reading the script, and it talks about them chasing a giant creature in the ocean. They’ve got a rifle, they’re leaning out the front of the boat to try and hit the creature, and it’s got a big fin. You start to go, “I’ve seen another film like this… It’s called ‘Jaws,’” and then you feel trapped. You go, “I don’t know how to do this sequence, and not have that iconography, that visuals of ‘Jaws’ in there.” So, it was a game of trying not to be like “Jaws.” But it was nearly impossible because that movie is obviously a masterpiece.
We tried it with scary music the entire time, and it felt like a really long sequence, so we broke it into two. We made the first half about excitement, fun and adventure, and the second half scary, and, suddenly, it really worked. Even doing that feels like “Jaws” because there’s that section where they have what you might call “happy pirate music.”
This whole job was a love letter to Steven and his early work. And it’s a very fine line between plagiarism and homage, so I was truly trying to be in the homage camp. You can’t be Steven. He’s the master at this stuff.
Given how the film ends, do you expect the story can continue with these actors? And would you direct it?
The honest truth is we haven’t had a single conversation with anyone about it — not the studio, not the producers, not David and not Steven. No one’s said a word. I think it’s because we all don’t want to jinx anything.
You can smell it when you watch a film like this, if everyone’s trying to make it lead to a franchise. I think it’s more when the franchise is given, right? It’s got the word “Jurassic” at the front of it. How will the world receive this movie, to the point where they want it to carry on with these characters? I personally think what the actors have brought to it is amazing. I loved what David wrote, so I think it’s all going to be OK. I’m very happy.
My girlfriend sent me a meme which said, “Gareth Edwards doing ‘Godzilla,’ ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Jurassic’ is the kind of greed they warned us about in the Bible.” I feel like I’ve had it too good, and I should just step away and let someone else have a crack at this stuff. I’ve had a very lucky few years.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Three years ago, Prime Video transported us to Cousins Beach for the very first time and one of the greatest love triangles in TV history was officially born. From the start, The Summer I Turned Pretty divided fans into two passionate factions: Team Conrad and Team Jeremiah.
For the last three seasons, we’ve watched Belly navigate her complicated feelings for the Fisher brothers. There have been moments along the way for Team Conrad and Team Jeremiah members, but both sides of the fandom have kept hope that in the end, their team would prevail and get its happy ending. We know in the books that it’s Team Conrad who wins out with Belly and Conrad ending up together in the epilogue of the final book in Jenny Han’s hit series, We’ll Always Have Summer. However, Amazon and Han have stirred the pot on many occasions hinting that the show would end differently than the books.
This gave way for a renewed hope for Team Jeremiah and left Team Conrad to fear that perhaps Belly and Conrad would not be end game in the show. Heading into the series finale, the ship seemed to have sailed on Belly and Jeremiah, while Conrad ended the penultimate episode boarding a plane to Paris in hopes of rekindling his relationship with Belly. So did Conrad and Belly get their happy ending, or did the writers throw a last-minute curveball audiences’ way?
Read on to find out how exactly The Summer I Turned Pretty came to an end. (Needless to say, spoilers ahead!)
Conrad arrives in Paris and reunites with Belly
The series finale opens with Conrad having arrived in France and landing on Belly’s doorstep. Much to our surprise, when Belly arrives back home she’s not only rocking a new look but she’s still with Benito. Conrad watches on from afar as the pair share a kiss before Benito rides off.
Having come all this way, Conrad goes up to Belly and she’s stunned to see him. Rather than professing his feelings as he intended when he jumped on the plane, he plays it off that he just happened to be in the area and wanted to celebrate her birthday before his conference in Brussels. Clearly shaken by seeing Conrad for the first time since that night at the airport before she left for Paris, Belly agrees to show him around for the day before her plans in the evening.
When she drops his bag in her apartment, it’s clear her old feelings begin to come back as she applies lipstick and asks herself what she’s doing before assuring herself she’ll simply play tour guide and then send him off to Brussels.
The pair embark on a day in the city and we get a really sweet montage of the pair’s journey through Paris. As they walk through the corridors of a museum, he admits to spending a lot of time thinking about her life in Paris and tells Belly he wishes he could see the city the way she does, which gives her an idea as they head out.
She ends up taking him to a rooftop she used to frequent often with breathtaking views of the city. As they look around, Belly tells Conrad about how when she first got to Paris and was figuring things out the manager of bar she was working at told her about the rooftop. The view just helped things to finally click for Belly with the way it all comes together beautifully, which Conrad equates to the human body in how when you take a step back it’s miraculous seeing how everything together works together.
Conrad points out that Belly seems comfortable in Paris and she admits it took some time to adjust and struggled to do the simplest of things like figuring out the difference between laundry detergent and dish soap. There so many times she felt like a complete idiot, but then she came up to the rooftop one day to watch the sun rise and remembered something Conrad had told her years ago about the first time he saw the Pacific. How it felt like standing on another planet where anything felt possible, and Paris has been that for her.
He assures Belly that he never doubted she could do it. She’s always been scrappy and never been one to back down from a challenge. Paris never stood a chance. Caught up in the moment, Belly invites Conrad to take a later train and join her for the birthday dinner.
Steven and Denise are moving to California to start their new company
Back in the states, Jeremiah is gearing up for an important dinner arranged by Taylor. He’s excited about the opportunity, but also feeling overwhelmed. As he tells Denise about Conrad going to Paris to see Belly, he begins to talk about finding a new couch for their apartment which is when Denise drops an unexpected bit of news on his plate.
It turns out that she and Steven secured the seed money for their company, but it was contingent upon them both moving to San Francisco. It seems that Steven hasn’t told the news to Taylor and Denise swears Jeremiah to secrecy, only to find out that Taylor heard the whole conversation.
As Taylor spirals about Steven keeping this from her, Taylor also is dealing with the fact that the venue she booked for Jeremiah’s dinner is dealing with flooding. Denise suggests the beach house and Jeremiah agrees to move the dinner, marking the first time he’ll be back to the house since the events of his wedding.
We jump ahead to Denise, Taylor and Jeremiah getting things ready for the dinner, and Steven arrives with supplies. Rather than confronting him directly, Taylor lays it on thick talking about their future clearly hoping he’ll come clean. When he doesn’t she storms off leaving him speechless.
Do Belly and Benito breakup?
As we return to Paris, Conrad is getting ready for Belly’s birthday dinner and begins to take a look around her apartment including the many photos of Benito. He also spots Junior Mint and remembers the moment he won the bear for Belly all those years ago. Enter Belly who looks stunning in her little black dress, leaving Conrad speechless. He helps her with her bracelet and she returns the favor by playfully ruffling his hair before they head out.
When they get to the party, Gemma and her friends make a comment that clues us in on the fact that Belly might not be seeing Benito after all when they mention how she moved on fast. Before we can process the line, Benito arrives and pulls her away to give her his present: a photograph he took of Belly in bed.
At dinner, Benito and Belly seem to give couple vibes sitting together at one end of the table as Conrad sits among Belly’s friends. Gemma tells Conrad she thinks what he did was romantic, professing his love for Belly before the wedding and they liken the story to something out of a movie. This is when Benito chime in that in the movie Conrad was the villain, to which Belly says if anyone was the villain, it was her. Benito then asks why he’s in Paris and he’s giving serious jealous boyfriend vibes until we learn that Belly actually dumped Benito six weeks ago!
That’s right, it seems Belly broke up with Benito before Conrad’s arrival when she declined his invitation to go Mexico for his grandma’s birthday.
As the dinner continues, Conrad asks about Benito being her boyfriend to which she points out that she never said he was. The night continues and Conrad finally gives Belly her gift: sand from Cousins Beach which he collected on the Fourth of July that summer. He knew he wasn’t going to be back for a long time and so whenever he missed home he’s take the bottle of sand out and it’d make him feel closer to everyone, he thought that since she might not be back for a while she might like to have it. She thanks Conrad with a sweet kiss on the cheek as her friends bring out her birthday cake for her to make a wish.
Do Steven and Taylor end up together?
Back in Cousins, Jeremiah’s dinner keeps hitting one snag after another. Taylor is working to help make things go as smoothly as possible, but he’s also dealing with the Steven news. That’s when Jeremiah clues his friend in on the fact that Taylor knows about Califnornia and suddenly her behavior makes sense to Steven.
As if the pressure of the dinner weren’t high enough, Adam arrives with some champagne from Jeremiah’s wedding and he begins to spiral about whether the beach house is cursed. As Jeremiah spirals, Denise helps ground him with a sweet pep talk and it seemed like the pair were about to kiss before she hit him with a friendly shoulder punch instead.
After kicking Steven and Taylor out of his kitchen to focus on the preparation of the food, the pair finally clear the air outside as Steven admits he can’t imagine a future without Taylor. He explains he hadn’t asked her to move as it didn’t feel fright to ask her to uproot her life again to follow him to another city. The conversation ends with Taylor agreeing to move to California as they share a kiss and we’re so happy the pair are destined to get their happy ending.
Conrad reminds Belly she’s not the villain in this story
After the party, Conrad and Belly take a romantic – yes, I’m calling it as I see it – stroll. He admits to her that he thought Belly came to Paris to hide from everything that happened. He admits that he wanted to believe it was temporary, that she’d forgive herself and come home; however, he sees that she wasn’t hiding out and made an amazing life, one he’s happy he got to see.
Belly admits that he’s not wrong. She was hiding out at first. It was hard and lonely and she did think she deserved that. Conrad reminds her she’s not the villain, but she’s not so sure of that pointing out how she broke up his family and came between him and Jeremiah.
Conrad assures Belly it wasn’t on her to keep their family together and they weren’t trying to hurt each other. He then proceeds to let her know that Jeremiah knows he’s there in Paris and is okay with that, even wishing him good luck before he left. He tells Belly that he likes being under the same moon as her again and just as it seems he’s about to come clean about his feelings, she cuts him off and tells him there’s one more place she wants to take him.
Belly and Conrad hook up in Paris, but the night ends with a twist
Belly take Conrad to the riverfront and he asks her to dance with him. She asks if he remembers the last time they danced, which he admits was not his finest moment. Belly admits she envisioned this perfect prom movie where they’d dance the night away, but instead he yelled at her in the rain and ran off. The two laugh it off as Conrad remembers when she told him to f*ck off at his mom’s funeral.
As Belly leans into Conrad’s chest, she admits that his letters kept her going. Whenever she was lonely and missed home, she’d sit and read them, over and over. He asks her why it took so long to write back and she admits she had to move on first. He asks if she’s moved on and silence fills the air before she pulls Conrad in for a kiss. That kiss quickly evolves into something more as they take things back to her apartment and take to the bedroom.
After a passionate night together, Belly admits to him that she used to wish for him on her birthday but the pillow talk quickly takes an unpleasant turn as Belly suggests he shouldn’t miss his train and the conference.
Belly asks Conrad what his plan was and he says he wanted to tell her that he loves her and that he wanted to know if any part of her still loved him. She admits she’s always loved him, which is the problem. How are they supposed to know if they love each other because they love each other or because they were told to. She questions whether if Susannah hadn’t gotten sick again, would they have ever gotten together. If they didn’t lose Susannah, would it loom so large for them? What if he only loves her because its what his mom wanted and then his mom died?
Conrad assures her that’s not why he loves her. He has tried everything not to love her for the sake of Jeremiah and not dragging her down in grief. He fought it way before his mom got sick, as she’s always been important to him. At one point, he started to see her differently and that scared him because he didn’t want things to change and that the way he feels about her has nothing to do with his mom. While he’s changed a million things about himself, the one thing that has never changed is that he love her.
Belly wishes she could be as sure as him, but she can’t as she sends him away.
Do Belly and Conrad end up together in The Summer I Turned Pretty?
After sending him away, Belly quickly realizes just how wrong she was. She’s always loved Conrad, and that’s never changed.
Belly races to the window and tries to call out for him, but he’s already gone. She races out to the street and hails a cab. Racing through the train station, Belly eventually boards the train to Brussels and begins frantically searching for him on the train cars.
Then it happens, she finds him.
“I choose you of my own free will. If there are infinite worlds, every version of me chooses you in every one of them,” Belly professes, finally embracing the love she’s always had for Conrad. The pair exchange I love yous and we flash back to the beach house where Jeremiah and the family are celebrating after a successful dinner.
As the show comes to an end, we jump ahead an unspecified time as Belly and Conrad finally return home from Paris to the place where it all began: the beach house. The pair roll into the driveway and walk through the door together, we watch the happy couple head to the backyard as the camera zooms out before finally fading to black.
Odds and Ends
- Jeremiah’s dinner works out, but more importantly he and Denise share a sweet kiss hinting their relationship will evolve into something more.
- Belly’s dad does not die as so many fans feared.
- Adam finally tells Jeremiah just how proud he is of him.
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Robert Redford death latest: Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand and others mourn Hollywood icon
Screen icon Robert Redford, the Oscar-winning actor, director, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival, has died at the age of 89.
The news was confirmed in a statement by his publicist, Cindi Berger, who said he died in his sleep “surrounded by those he loved,” at his home in Utah. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Redford shot to global fame opposite Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and went on to deliver acclaimed performances in The Sting (1973), Three Days of the Condor (1975), and All the President’s Men (1976), among many others.
He made his directorial debut with Ordinary People (1980), which won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Beyond his work on screen, Redford founded the Sundance Institute, which launched the Sundance Film Festival — now the largest and most influential celebration of independent film in the United States.
He is survived by his two daughters, Shauna and Amy, and his wife, Sibylle Szaggars Redford, the 68-year-old German-born multimedia artist whose environmental work as been exhibited around the world.
He had four children with his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen. One son, Scott, died of sudden death syndrome when he was just 10 weeks old. David died from cancer in 2020 at the age of 58.
Hailed as Hollywood’s former golden boy, tributes have poured in for the late star.
Follow live updates below
Robert Redford remembered for his deep legacy in environmental activism and Native American advocacy
Redford, who died Tuesday at age 89, was hardly the only liberal activist to emerge out of Hollywood, but few matched his knowledge and focus, his humility and dedication. Fellow actors and leaders of the causes he fought for spoke of his unusually deep legacy, his fight for Native Americans and the environment that began at the height of his stardom.
Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 09:30
Sundance Institute reflects on Robert Redford’s lasting legacy
The Sundance Institute mourned the loss of its founder, Robert Redford, in a statement that highlighted his contribution to cinema.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our founder and friend Robert Redford. Bob’s vision of a space and a platform for independent voices launched a movement that, over four decades later, has inspired generations of artists and redefined cinema in the US and around the world,” the non-profit shared on Tuesday.
“Beyond his enormous contributions to culture at large, we will miss his generosity, clarity of purpose, curiosity, rebellious spirit and his love for the creative process. We are humbled to be among the stewards of his remarkable legacy, which will continue to guide the Institute in perpetuity.”
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Remembering Robert Redford in photos: the life of the Oscar-winning director and activist
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Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: How Robert Redford and Paul Newman captured Hollywood’s greatest outlaws
The multiple Oscar-winning Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was a groundbreaking revisionist western, with Paul Newman and the late Robert Redford giving a timeless portrayal of a pair of law-breaking adventurers in one of Hollywood’s greatest examples of the “buddy film”.
Although William Goldman was convinced his film script about two American outlaws who fled a posse of Pinkerton detectives and escaped to Bolivia had the potential to be a blockbuster hit, the initial response was disheartening. “Every studio but one rejected it,” Goldman recalled in The Reluctant Storyteller. “One studio head said, ‘Well, I’ll buy it if they don’t go to South America.’ I said, ‘But they went there!’ He said, ‘I don’t give a s***. All I know is John Wayne don’t run away.’”
The true story of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The 1969 movie wasn’t an immediate success with critics, yet it charmed the public. As Robert Redford dies aged 89, Martin Chilton tells the tale of one of Hollywood’s best buddy films and the two outlaws who inspired it
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Marisa Tomei on Redford: ‘He showed up for the world’
Marisa Tomei shared a heartfelt tribute to Robert Redford, calling him “the Sundance Kid, waving one last time.”
Tomei recalled a moment from early in Ms. Magazine’s history, when Redford’s PR office shared a building with the publication. “He volunteered his gorgeous back for their Oct ’75 cover, knowing the attention would help,” she wrote.
“Always lending his weight to something bigger than himself,” Tomei added. “A legend in every sense.
Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 08:15
Classic films, pranks and a crushed Porsche: Robert Redford and Paul Newman’s rare friendship
Robert Redford and Paul Newman enjoyed a “bromance” long before the word had even been coined. Here’s a look back at their storied friendship – and the sports cars they crushed into a cube along the way:
Kevin Perry17 September 2025 07:56
Journalist Bob Woodward remembers Robert Redford as a fierce storyteller and friend
Bob Woodward paid tribute to Robert Redford on Instagram, looking back on their long connection.
Redford famously portrayed Woodward in the 1976 film All the President’s Men, and the two remained close over the years.
Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 07:45
Robert Redford: 11 of his most memorable performances and where to watch them
Redford died Tuesday at 89, leaving behind an arsenal of great roles that he owned, whether he was playing a quiet CIA agent, a con man, a baseball player, a grizzled mariner, an ambitious journalist, or a charming WASP in love. His very last role came this year, a cameo in Dark Winds, the AMC show about Navajo police officers he produced.
This is a list of some of Redford’s most memorable performances, but don’t forget about the films he directed, too: among them are the all-timers Ordinary People ( streaming on MGM+ ), which won him the best director Oscar, and Quiz Show (rent on AppleTV+ ), which got him another nod.
Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 07:31
Hillary Clinton honours ‘American icon’ Robert Redford
Hilary Clinton honoured Robert Redford with a post on Instagram, reflecting on his career and the lasting impact he made beyond film.
“I always admired Robert Redford, not only for his legendary career as an actor and director but for what came next,” she wrote.
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Joe Mantegna remembers Redford as a co-star and ‘role model’
Joe Mantegna, the character actor known for appearing in The Godfather Part III and voicing Fat Tony in The Simpsons, fondly recalled working with Redford.
He wrote on X: “How lucky was I to be able to share the screen in 1996 with Robert Redford in Up Close and Personal. He was a role model not just as an actor but as a human being.”
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Madeleine McCann: Suspect in 2007 disappearance of British girl freed from German prison in unrelated case
SEHNDE, Germany
AP
—
A German man who is under investigation in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann 18 years ago was released from prison Wednesday after serving his sentence in an unrelated case, police said.
The man, who has been identified by media as Christian Brueckner, had been serving a seven-year sentence that stemmed from his 2019 conviction for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Portugal.
He left the prison at Sehnde, near Hannover in northern Germany, on Wednesday morning.
In June 2020, German prosecutors said the man was being investigated on suspicion of murder in connection with McCann’s disappearance on May 3, 2007, from an apartment complex in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz. They said they assumed the girl was dead.
Police have since carried out more searches in Portugal. But the suspect, who has denied any involvement in her disappearance, has not been charged in the case. The investigation is not affected by his release. He also remains a suspect in an investigation into McCann’s disappearance being conducted by Britain’s Metropolitan Police, who say he refused their request for an interview.
His lawyer, Friedrich Fülscher, has said charges would have been filed against his client long ago if there had been sufficient evidence.
The 48-year-old spent many years in Portugal, including in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz around the time of Madeleine’s disappearance.
Investigators in the UK, Portugal and Germany are still piecing together what happened on the night 3-year-old Madeleine disappeared. She was in the same room as her brother and sister – 2-year-old twins – while their parents, Kate and Gerry, had dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant.
The suspect was tried last year over several unrelated sexual offenses he was alleged to have committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017 and was acquitted in October. The presiding judge said the evidence was insufficient for a conviction, that the court heard from unreliable witnesses and that some had been influenced by media reports on the defendant.
The state court in Hildesheim has said it cannot legally disclose whether he will have to fulfill any conditions after his release. But Fülscher confirmed to regional public broadcaster NDR that his client will be required to wear an electronic foot tag, report regularly to probation services and give up his passport. German weekly Der Spiegel first reported on that decision, without naming sources.
He still faces an October 27 court date in Oldenburg in northwestern Germany in a case in which he is accused of insulting a prison employee. A district court in the city sentenced him to six weeks in prison for that, but the defense has appealed.
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