Netflix Will Finance Completion of the Film and Distribute Globally

Netflix announced that the company is acquiring global rights and will finance the completion and restoration of the legendary filmmaker Orson Welles’ last film, 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.

Producer Frank Marshall, who served as a Production Manager on the original production and has led efforts to complete this film for over forty years, will oversee the completion of the film, working closely with fellow producer Filip Jan Rymsza, whose involvement was instrumental in pursuing the film’s completion.

Working with Netflix, Marshall will oversee the restoration and completion of the film with consultation from Peter Bogdanovich.

The film, a satire of Hollywood, focuses on the last days of a legendary film director named Jake Hannaford (played by Huston), who is struggling to forge his last great comeback as a major filmmaker. Hannaford is hard at work on his final masterpiece, The Other Side of The Wind.

“Like so many others who grew up worshipping the craft and vision of Orson Welles, this is a dream come true,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer. “The promise of being able to bring to the world this unfinished work of Welles with his true artistic intention intact, is a point of pride for me and for Netflix. Cinephiles and film enthusiasts around the world will experience the magic of Orson Welles once again or for the very first time.”

“I can’t quite believe it, but after 40 years of trying, I am so very grateful for the passion and perseverance from Netflix that has enabled us to, at long last, finally get into the cutting room to finish Orson’s last picture,” said Frank Marshall.

“We could not ask for better partners or a better home. I’m immensely grateful to the whole Netflix team for their tireless effort and unwavering support. With Netflix’s global reach, this will undoubtedly be the widest release of any Orson Welles film, if not all of them combined,” said producer and founder of Royal Road Entertainment, Filip Jan Rymsza.

Welles is one of the most respected actors, writers, producers and filmmakers in cinema history. He worked in theater, radio and film, and won an Academy Award for co-writing the film Citizen Kane, considered by many as one of the all-time greatest films. His othergreat works include the 1938 radio broadcast The War of the Worlds, his landmark Broadway adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and his acclaimed films The Magnificent Ambersons and Touch of Evil. Welles passed away in 1985.

The Other Side of the Wind is directed by Orson Welles and written by Orson Welles and Oja Kodar. The film is being produced by Frank Marshall and Filip Jan Rymsza. The Executive Producers are Peter Bogdanovich, Jens Koethner Kaul, Beatrice Welles, Carla Rosen-Vacher, Olga Kagan and Jon Anderson.

About Netflix Original Films
Netflix is the world’s leading streaming network with over 93 million members in over 190 countries enjoying more than 125 million hours of movies and TV shows per day, including original films, series and documentaries. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

Netflix Original Films are narrative films that have been financed, acquired and/or produced by Netflix for distribution throughout the world. Recent films on the Netflix Original Films slate include Macon Blair's Sundance 2017 Grand Jury Prize Winner I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore starring Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood. 

Upcoming releases include Charlie McDowell's The Discovery starring Jason Segel, Rooney Mara and Robert Redford; Steve Brill's Sandy Wexler starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Hudson; David Michôd’s War Machine starring Brad Pitt, Meg Tilly, Tilda Swinton, Topher Grace, Lakeith Stanfield and Sir Ben Kingsley; Bong Joon-Ho's Okja starring Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Lily Collins, Steven Yeun; Jim Strouse's The Incredible Jessica James starring Jessica Williams and Chris O'Dowd; Marti Noxon's To The Bone starring Lily Collins; Adam Wingard's Death Note starring Nat Wolff, Lakeith Stanfield and Margaret Qualley; Duncan Jones' Mute starring Alex Skarsgard, Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux; Dee Rees' Mudbound starring Carey Mulligan, Mary J. Blige, Jason Mitchell, and Garrett Hedlund; Ritesh Batra's Our Souls At Night starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda; Angelina Jolie's First They Killed My Father, based on Cambodian author and activist Loung Ung's gripping memoir; and David Ayer's Bright starring Will Smith, Joel Edgerton, Noomi Rapace, Lucy Fry and Edgar Ramirez. 

Other Netflix Original Films on the horizon include Tamara Jenkins' Private Life starring Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn; Jeremy Saulnier's Hold the Dark starring Jeffrey Wright, Alexander Skarsgard and Riley Keough; and Nicole Holofcener's The Land of Steady Habits starring Edie Falco, Ben Mendelsohn and Thomas Mann.

About Royal Road Entertainment
Royal Road Entertainment was founded in 2010 by filmmaker Filip Jan Rymsza. The Los Angeles, Luxembourg and Warsaw-based company develops and produces sophisticated content for the global marketplace. Aside from producing the completion of Orson Welles’ The Other Side of the Wind, Royal Road is currently in post-production on Lech Majewski’s Valley of the Gods starring Josh Hartnett, John Malkovich, Bérénice Marlohe and Charlotte Rampling. Previous films include Lirio Ferreira’s Blue Blood, which won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor at the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival and went on to open the Panorama section at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival, and Oh Gallow Lay, which premiered in the Orizzonti section of the 2015 Venice Film Festival.