Netflix has announced that filmmaker Morgan Neville–a Best Feature Documentary Oscar winner for Twenty Feet from Stardom–will direct an original feature documentary contextualizing the final 15 years of maverick auteur Orson Welles’ life. Produced by Tremolo Productions, and executive produced by Frank Marshall and Filip Jan Rymzsa, Neville will explore Welles’ complex relationship with Hollywood, both artistically and commercially. The company’s previously-announced acquisition of Welles’ final feature The Other Side of the Wind, will have a significant presence throughout the new documentary, providing a framework into the legendarily volatile dynamics between Welles and the industry. The two films will launch in tandem in 2018.
“The Other Side of the Wind has long been a ghostly legend in cinema history, but the story behind it is equally fascinating,” said Neville. “I’m excited to be able to tell the incredible story behind this film and to explore what made Welles such an enduring figure.”
Netflix recently announced that it acquired global rights, and will finance the completion and restoration of, The Other Side of the Wind. The film, which has remained unfinished for decades, was shot by Welles beginning in 1970, features a screenplay by Welles and Oja Kodar, and stars John Huston, Peter Bogdanovich, Oja Kodar, Robert Random, Lilli Palmer, Edmond O’Brien, Cameron Mitchell, Mercedes McCambridge, Susan Strasberg, Norman Foster, Paul Stewart and Dennis Hopper. The film is a Royal Road Entertainment production and was originally produced by Welles and Les Films de L’Astrophore.
