It’s been more than a decade since William Friedkin directed a narrative feature. That was 2011’s “Killer Joe.” But that doesn’t mean the filmmaker behind “The Exorcist” and “The French Connection” is retired. Far from it. In fact, he just lined up his next feature.
According to Deadline, William Friedkin is set to direct “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial” with Kiefer Sutherland leading the cast. The film is actually going to use the original, 50-year-old script for the play from writer Herman Wouk, who adapted his own Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The story follows a naval officer on trial for mutiny after taking control of a ship after he deems the captain to be unstable.
“I’ve looked at a lot of scripts in the last ten years, and I haven’t seen anything I really wanted to do,” said Friedkin. “But I think about it, a lot and it, it occurred to me that could be a very timely and important piece, as well as being great drama. ‘The Caine Mutiny Court Martial’ is one of the best court martial dramas ever written.”
This is far from the first time that “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial” has been adapted as a film. Back in 1954, Humphrey Bogart starred in an adaptation of the novel. And in 1988, Robert Altman actually directed a film version of the story with Brad Davis in the lead. However, one major difference between those versions and the one Friedkin is doing is that the former were written about World War II, while the new version will have an updated setting.
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“The original piece was written for WWII, and Wouk included all the pent-up anger in this country over Pearl Harbor,” Friedkin explained. “I’ve updated it so that is no longer Pearl Harbor. I’ve made it contemporary, involving the Gulf of Hormuz and the Straits of Hormuz, leading to Iran.”
“The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial” is expected to begin production in January. A release date has yet to be announced.
