The Late William Friedkin's Final Film Premieres This Month
Filmmaking legend William Friedkin has sadly passed away, although he left us with one last film before his death. The director of "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist" was recently gearing us for the release of what will now serve as his final bow, "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial." The film is based on Herman Wouk's courtroom stage drama of the same name, itself adapted from Wouk's own 1952 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. It also rounds out what could be considered an unofficial trilogy of plays-turned-films directed by Friedkin after his previous two non-documentary features, "Bug" and "Killer Joe" (both of which were based on plays by Tracy Letts).
"The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" centers around one Lieutenant Stephen Maryk (Jake Lacy), a Naval officer who is put on trial for mutiny after he forcibly relieves the captain of the USS Caine, Lieutenant Commander Phillip Queeg (Kiefer Sutherland), from his duties, believing him to be mentally unfit. "Mutiny," which Friedkin also wrote, updates its source material, swapping out the original play and novel's WWII-era backdrop for the modern day and setting it near the Strait of Hormuz (which divides the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman). Those eager to see the film won't have long to wait. "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" is slated to make its world premiere between the very end of this month and September 2023.
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial is headed to Venice
Friedkin's last hurrah as a director, "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial," will debut out of competition at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, which will take place from August 30 to September 9, 2023. Joining Lacy and Sutherland in the cast are such folk as Jason Clarke ("Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"), Monica Raymund ("Lie to Me"), and Lewis Pullman ("Bad Times at the El Royale"), as well as one-half of the Duplass brothers, Jay Duplass. Adding even more heartbreak to the equation, the film will include a posthumous appearance by the late Lance Reddick following the exemplary character actor and "John Wick" star's shocking death earlier this year.
While his career spanned six decades, Friedkin went more than 10 years without directing a non-documentary before taking the helm on "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial." So what is it about the project that grabbed his interest? Calling Wouk's original play "one of the best court martial dramas ever written," Friedkin explained to Deadline last year, "There never was a mutiny in the United States Navy. Herman Wouk virtually created the first and only mutiny in the United States military." It's certainly a narrative that's as relevant as it ever was (if not more than ever), granted that it deals with the importance of not merely following orders and questioning those in positions of power, even at the risk of your own livelihood.
"The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" has yet to set a general release date.