Netflix will finish Orson Welles’ last film, The Other Side of the Wind

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Today, Netflix announced that is has secured the global rights to restore and finish Orson Welles' final film, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND. As things stand, the movie has been in the works for nearly a month after an insistent campaign orchestrated by the film's original production manager Frank Marshall and Peter Bogdanovich – who also happens to be a part of the cast. 

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND is a satire based on the last days of a struggling filmmaker hoping for a comeback. Welles began shooting the picture all the way back in 1970 until production difficulties, finance, casting and other legal issues led to the film being impounded and left untouched for over 40 years. Welles had intended for the mockumentary-style project to be his comeback kid, but unfortunately, those legal issue I'd mentioned kept the project from being completed. 

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND will star actors  John Huston, Bogdanovich, Oja Kodar, Robert Random, Lilli Palmer, Edmond O’Brien, Cameron Mitchell, Mercedes McCambridge, Susan Strasberg, Norman Foster, Paul Stewart and Dennis Hopper. Additionally, Marshall and Bogdanovich will oversee the finished product. Furthermore the film's original producer Filip Jan Rymsza will be given the arduous task of sorting through over 1,000 reels of film to come up with the final presentation.

In remarking on this unique venture, Netflix Chief of Content Officer Ted Sarandos stated, "Like so many others who grew up worshiping the craft and vision of Orson Welles, this is a dream come true."

The release date for THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND has yet to be scheduled, however, I'm posisitve that there will be a big announcement once everything is in place.