Friedkin’s last hurrah as a director, “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” will debut out of competition at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, which will take place from August 30 to September 9, 2023. Joining Lacy and Sutherland in the cast are such folk as Jason Clarke (“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”), Monica Raymund (“Lie to Me”), and Lewis Pullman (“Bad Times at the El Royale”), as well as one-half of the Duplass brothers, Jay Duplass. Adding even more heartbreak to the equation, the film will include a posthumous appearance by the late Lance Reddick following the exemplary character actor and “John Wick” star’s shocking death earlier this year.
While his career spanned six decades, Friedkin went more than 10 years without directing a non-documentary before taking the helm on “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.” So what is it about the project that grabbed his interest? Calling Wouk’s original play “one of the best court martial dramas ever written,” Friedkin told Deadline last year, “There never was a mutiny in the United States Navy. Herman Wouk virtually created the first and only mutiny in the United States military.” It’s certainly a story that’s as relevant as it ever was (if not more than ever), seeing as it deals with the importance of not merely following orders and questioning those in positions of power, even when it means having to stick your own neck out.
“The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial” has yet to set a general release date.