'Just respect for a master': Guillermo del Toro wants cinema release for William Friedkin's last film

Guillermo del Toro is determined to land a cinematic release for William Friedkin's final movie 'The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial'.

The 58-year-old filmmaker served as an assistant director on the legal drama that is set for release on the streaming service Paramount+ next month but feels it should be shown in cinemas in honour of Friedkin – who died at the age of 87 last month.

Del Toro tweeted: "I know it's not the 'model' for a streamer but this is Friedkin's final film. Can we get a theatrical run?

"No matter if it's a limited one. Just respect for a master."

The movie's producer Annabelle Dunne says it was a "joy" to have the 'Hellboy' director on set – particularly as Friedkin required a back-up director in order to get the project financed.

She said: "It was a joy for all of us, including the actors, to have his presence there. He made it abundantly clear it was Billy's movie."

'The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial' premiered at the Venice Film Festival last week and filmmaker Damien Chazelle – who is presiding over this year's jury at the festival – paid a moving tribute to Friedkin.

The 'Babylon' director said: "When I first became aware of the name Billy Friedkin I was a child, and the name itself filled me with fear.

"I probably had 'The Exorcist' in my mind. I hadn’t seen the film yet, but I’d seen the letters written in that typeface, and the sound of the word 'Fried-kin' seemed to suggest to me the darkest, most forbidden recesses of the imagination. The kind of things that inspire nightmares for the rest of your life.

"So to me William Friedkin meant fear. But today I think of his name, and I think of love. I think of love of cinema, love of all art, and a vision of how the arts can intersect and inform each other. A vision of cinema that is not separate, but inextricably linked to music, to literature, to painting. Of course, to opera."