William Friedkin to direct Kiefer Sutherland in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial

With The French Connection, The Exorcist, Sorcerer, and more, William Friedkin has directed some of the finest movies out there. The director has been more selective with the projects he takes on in recent decades, but Deadline reports that William Friedkin will direct Kiefer Sutherland in an adaptation of Herman Wouk’s The Caine Mutiny.

Set during World War II, The Caine Mutiny follows a young man who joins the Navy and ends up on a minesweeper in the Pacific. When the commanding officer shows signs of becoming unhinged, the XO takes command and is then court-martialed for mutiny. It’s been over a decade since William Friedkin released his last narrative movie (Killer Joe), but the director is very excited about his latest project.

I’ve looked at a lot of scripts in the last 10 years, and I haven’t seen anything I really wanted to do. But I think about it a lot, and 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 new version of The Caine Mutiny will give the story a contemporary spin. “The original piece was written for WWII, and Wouk included all the pent-up anger in this country over Pearl Harbor,” Friedkin said. “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.” William Friedkin updated the script himself and knew that Kiefer Sutherland was the man to play Lt. Commander Queeg. “I think he is one of the best actors in America, one of the very best,” Friedkin said. “I saw every episode of his show 24. I thought he was just great but that he could do a lot more, and this gives him an opportunity to stretch.” Production on The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial is expected to begin next January.