David Fincher becomes a Netflix-exclusive director with 4-year deal
David Fincher has been one of the few Hollywood directors to have had this close an association with any particular OTT streaming platform. Now, the director has signed a four-year deal with Netflix. This means that apart from Mank, Mindhunter, House of Cards, Love, and Death & Robots, the coming four years would see the director belch out more masterpieces across genres for Netflix.
Let's talk of 'Mank'
Touted as one of Fincher's best films to date, Mank is his retelling of screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz's journey to complete the screenplay of Citizen Kane for fellow screenwriter Orson Welles. It received limited theatrical release on November 13 and will release on Netflix on December 4—which is the masterpiece film's 79th-anniversary release date. It stars Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, and Tom Burke.
How detail-oriented is Fincher?
The level of perfection Fincher has been reported to try to achieve on sets has been proven by Oldman taking 100 takes to shoot one particular scene. No wonder, it is Mank's success Fincher is banking on to smoothen his run with Netflix, a stint he has already been on since he filmed his last thriller Gone Girl for 20th Century Fox in 2014.
Is he excited?
"Yes, I have an exclusivity deal with [Netflix] for another four years," Fincher recently told French magazine Premiere. And depending on 'Mank's' reception, I'll either go see them sheepishly asking them what I can do to redeem myself or take the attitude of the arrogant asshole who'll require making other films in black and white... No, I'm here to deliver them 'content'," he added.
'Want to work like Picasso'
The director added that in the next four years, one of his main duties would be to bring Netflix spectators "in his small sphere of influence." The Playlist guesses that Fincher is being given a handsome nine-figure cheque to dedicate himself totally to the platform's content and push the envelope. "I'd like to work like Picasso painted, to try very different things," Fincher maintained.
