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Orson Welles' final film to be completed and released by Netflix

The legendary writer, actor and director died 30 years ago while editing his last movie
Orson Welles' unfinished masterpiece to be completed 04:36

The lost final film of Orson Welles is found again.

Netflix has acquired the global rights to Welles’ uncompleted “The Other Side of the Wind” with an aim to finance its completion and restoration ahead of a worldwide release, the streaming service announced Tuesday. Producer Frank Marshall will oversee the film’s completion.

Production on “The Other Side of the Wind” -- which would have been Welles’ 28th feature film -- began in 1970 and continued sporadically until 1976, after funding had run out. Welles died in 1985. 

The Orson Welles centenary
The Orson Welles centenary

The film -- shot in both color and black and white -- tells the story of a Hollywood filmmaker, played by John Huston, attempting a comeback. Its sprawling cast includes Dennis Hopper, Susan Strasberg, Paul Mazursky and Peter Bogdanovich, who has helped with the editing efforts.

Two years ago, a crowdfunding campaign was launched to finish the film, raising more than $400,000. 

Netflix’s Ted Sarandos called releasing the lost Welles film “a point of pride” for himself, as a Welles fan, and for the company.

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