" ”Bad Times at the El Royale” af Drew Goddard er hvad man må kalde en stjernespækket film, og Goddard selv, har udtalt, at han har samlet sit drømme-cast. På rollelisten finder vi bl.a. Jon Hamm, Jeff Bridges, Dakota Johnson og Chris Hemsworth. Under et interview med Screen Rant blev han spurgt, hvordan det kunne lade sig gøre at samle sådan et hold, og Goddard forklarede, at han startede med at sende manuskriptet til Jeff Bridges, og at da han sagde ja, så faldt alle brikkerne på plads, for i virkeligheden vil alle bare gerne arbejde sammen med Bridges. Goddard fortalte under samme interview, at Bridges ikke kun spiller en stor rolle i filmen, men også kom til at operere som set-fotograf på filmen. "
Situated at the Lake Tahoe, on the border of Nevada and California, ‘El Royal’ is a very special hotel. The guests can choose a room in their own US state. It is also the place where seven strangers, each with their own dark secret, accidentally meet. Although it seems like a great vacation spot, ‘El Royal’ soon becomes the crime scene where a robbery, a mayhem and a hostage situation take place. What is even more disturbing, is that the hotel manager (Jon Hamm) has found a way to spy on the guests. “This is not a place for a priest, Father. You shouldn’t be here,” the bellhop (Lewis Pullman) warns the priest (Jeff Bridges). However, this is not a problem for Bridge’s character, who confesses “I’m not really a priest.”