Orson Welles' Last Film to Finally Be Released

For nearly 50 years, fans of Orson Welles have been patiently awaiting the completion of The Other Side of the Wind, a film Welles began in 1970 but was still unfinished at the time of his death in 1985. They may not have to wait much longer: Netflix has signed on to get the film completed, reports the New York Times. No date has been released, but the film reels, long kept at a storage facility in France, have now arrived in Los Angeles. Original line producer Frank Marshall will oversee the project, and actor Peter Bogdanovich, who has a role in the film, will consult. The late Dennis Hopper also stars.

“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,” says Marshall, per the Guardian. They'll use their own knowledge of the production and Welles' notes to ensure it sticks to his original vision of "a Hollywood system that chews its participants up and leaves little remaining in its wake," reports the AV Club. The film stars John Huston as a film director trying to make a comeback. The Netflix commitment comes after a crowdfunding campaign by producers who acquired the rights to the film fell short. (More Netflix stories.)