The David Fincher Shuffle

Started by mutinyco, September 07, 2003, 11:54:40 AM

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BB

Really interesting. Spot on about Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Benjamin Button.

Contrary to the article, though, I actually think Fight Club (the movie) is effectively satirical. At least more so than the article proposes. While Tyler Durden is making his compelling and alluring argument for anarchy and all that, I think the audience is supposed to see Brad Pitt, if you know what I mean. We're supposed to see how ridiculous it is that a multi-millionaire, pretty-boy movie star, one of the biggest in the world, is telling us "The things you own end up owning you" and mocking Calvin Klein models. We're supposed to see how silly it is that a major studio release with a budget of $70 million-plus is preaching to us in this way. It is for these reasons that I consider the movie Fight Club to be an enormous improvement on the book Fight Club, which I found far more incendiary and seemingly clueless.

With folks setting up real-world fight clubs, I guess Fincher should have really strove to highlight what the movie was doing (if I'm right about his intentions). But I don't know if it's fair to criticize him for the way a few people have reacted.

I feel I should add, I'm actually not a huge fan of Fight Club. I'm not one of those guys, I swear. I've never even been to a frat house. 

MacGuffin

David Fincher Battles Over Budget on Netflix's 'House of Cards' (Exclusive)
The director's feuds include a threat to quit over money on the $100 million series, which is about to go into production.
Source: THR

Netflix is getting a lesson in what it's like to work with a top Hollywood auteur.

Looking to reinvent itself as a premium channel, Netflix shocked the TV industry in May by committing $100 million to a hefty 26 episodes of House of Cards, based on a British 1990 miniseries. Kevin Spacey is set to produce and star opposite Robin Wright in the American version, playing a politician who becomes corrupt as his ambitions grow.

The series is scheduled to debut this year, but multiple sources say friction has developed between Oscar-nominated director David Fincher (The Social Network), who is executive producing the series, and independent studio Media Rights Capital over budget issues -- specifically, Fincher's desire for more money. Fincher is set to direct the first two episodes, but sources say the prickly talent has even threatened to depart over his displeasure.

Netflix referred inquiries about the production to MRC, which denies a dispute, expressing support for Fincher and the project. 

"Everything's fine and moving ahead," the rep says. The start of production in Baltimore, originally scheduled for March, has been pushed to April, though a source says that was to accommodate Spacey's schedule. Fincher has a well-established reputation for aggressively pursuing his vision despite cost concerns.

"It's like, Netflix — welcome to the content business," says a producer who has worked with Fincher. "You buy retail, you're going to pay retail."

Actually, Netflix is only on the hook for a licensing fee, so budget overages are MRC's problem. The 6-year-old company has met with mixed success in television, producing the HBO series The Life & Times of Tim and The Ricky Gervais Show, the latter an animated version of the comic's podcasts, but losing millions in an effort to create a programming block for The CW.  Those who have worked with MRC say the company, which has made The Adjustment Bureau and the upcoming Seth MacFarlane vehicle Ted, is not known for hands-on producing experience. An executive says the usual MRC pitch is, " 'We're going to finance your movie; you're completely in charge, we're not going to mess with you.' And then the director has creative protection from the studio."

In that context, Fincher might have been a particularly challenging partner. "David is fantastic, but David isn't easy," says Bill Mechanic, who ran Fox when Fincher made Fight Club. "If you don't know how to manage a budget, [using Fincher] probably isn't the smartest thing to do."
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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MacGuffin

David Fincher Says He's Still Figuring Out 'Dragon Tattoo' Sequel; Reveals Other Directors On 'House Of Cards'
Source: Playlist

With Sony confirming last week that "The Girl Who Played With Fire" would not be hitting screens in 2013 (hardly a shock considering no casting or greenlight or any other movement had happened on "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" followup), speculation brewed as to whether or not David Fincher would return. While "The Social Network" was pretty much smooth sailing, his relationship with Sony grew fractious during 'Dragon Tattoo,' with heads butting from the start over casting and more bumps along the way. "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" was expected to be his next film, but we'd wager Disney might be re-considering the expensive 3D and CGI-heavy movie in the wake of the belly flop "John Carter," and particularly with "The Lone Ranger" reportedly already going over budget. Whatever might be going on behind the scenes, it seems Fincher still has Lisbeth Salander on the brain.

The folks over at The Art Of Title recently chatted with Fincher about his credit sequences, in what is an excellent and fascinating read. But for our purposes we're going to zone in right to the end of the piece, where Fincher provides an update of what is currently on his plate. There is the Netflix and Media Rights Capital series "House Of Cards" which is he executive producing and directing (we'll get to that in a moment), and oh hey, it looks like 'Played With Fire' is in the mix too. "Well, [I'm] trying to figure out a sequel to 'Dragon Tattoo.' We've got to be able to make it our own thing," he said.

We're not going to over analyze things here except to say that it appears his hat is still very much in the ring. It always seemed a bit odd that Fincher would walk away from a franchise he helped establish, leaving it in the hands of someone else (not to mention that his deal with Sony would require the studio to pay him out if he exited, something they're likely not eager to do) and he's been very protective of Rooney Mara when it comes to this film, fighting for her from day one to get the role. Last week, it was reported that Steve Zaillian was still working on the script, and perhaps that's a hint that development is continuing with Fincher involved. It should also be noted, that Fincher dropped out of "Cleopatra" starring Angelina Jolie and produced by 'Dragon Tattoo' producer Scott Rudin. Could it be because 'Played With Fire' has moved up to the front burner? But we'll see how this all plays out.

Meanwhile, Fincher is busy on "House Of Cards." Word has been very quiet about the new show, aside from talk about a behind-the-scenes-battle over budget early in the year and a first look image this spring. But things are rolling along, and Fincher has revealed who else is lending their talent to the episodes being filmed. "I shot the first two episodes, and we're sound mixing in the next couple of weeks and then finishing. James Foley has directed two and Joel Schumacher directed two, and now Charles McDougall has directed two. It's up and running so that's a fulltime job," he said.

It's an interesting mix of names. Schumacher has mostly been cranking out dreck for the past decade, but perhaps this is a chance to redeem himself. Foley is best known as the helmer behind the screen version of David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross" while McDougall is a TV vet who has worked on "Sex And The City," "The Office" and "Parks & Recreation." None of these guys are particularly auteurs, which may mean they're the perfect sort of directors to come in and work with the vision Fincher is putting together for the show. And oh, in case you're wondering, Fincher does confirm that designer Neil Kellerhouse is working on this project as well.

The 13 episode first season of "House Of Cards" is due to air on Netflix in 2013. Could 'Played With Fire' be next on Fincher's deck after that? It seems that you can't count it out just yet. And do head over to The Art Of The Title for the Fincher interview -- it's a great piece.


http://www.artofthetitle.com/feature/david-fincher-a-film-title-retrospective/
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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MacGuffin

David Fincher Eyeing Publishing Sensation 'Gone Girl' At Fox
BY Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: David Fincher is eyeing coming aboard Gone Girl, the Gillian Flynn novel that was just published by Crown and has been a bestselling phenomenon that was acquired in a 7-figure deal by 20th Century Fox to be produced by Pacific Standard's Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea, along with Leslie Dixon. Flynn wrote the first draft of the screenplay. The plot: a woman disappears on the day of her fifth anniversary and all roads point to her husband as the killer. Flynn, who has three novels on the bestseller lists all at once, has two other movie projects in the works. Dark Places has Amy Adams attached to star, with Gilled Paquet-Brenner directing and her first novel, Sharp Objects, was optioned by Alliance with Blumhouse's Jason Blum producing.

Fincher, who has been working on Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea: Captain Nemo and has been rumored heavily to helm one of these Star Wars movies at that studio, has handled female-themed Panic Room with Jodie Foster. He's repped by Anonymous Content. He's also still in the loop for continuing the Stieg Larsson series that began with Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, which also had a great female protagonist.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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MacGuffin

"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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wilder

Exclusive: Andrew Kevin Walker Rewriting 'Dragon Tattoo' Sequel; David Fincher's '20,000 Leagues' Is Dead
via The Playlist



With two major blockbuster flops in two years ("John Carter," "The Lone Ranger"), the conventional wisdom follows that Disney is probably not green-lighting any major, untested would-be franchises anytime soon (even the the trio behind "The Pirates of The Caribbean" films, Bruckheimer, Depp and Verbinski proved nothing's a sure thing). And so eyes immediately turned to David Fincher's ambitious $200 million-plus, 3D tentpole adaptation of "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea." Given the recent announcement that Fincher would be directing the thriller "Gone Girl" with Ben Affleck this fall, we assumed the Jules Verne project had been scrapped, for the simple reason that Disney is not going to bankroll a potentially risky project.

However, after doing some digging, sources close to the project and the Fincher camp tell us "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" has been dead, at least from the Fincher side of things, for months. That report in April about the film receiving its funding down under was apparently a desperate bid by the Aussie government to entice the filmmakers and producers into continuing with this project that would bring millions of dollars in jobs to their movie industry. But as "Gone Girl" suggests, Fincher has moved on and had done so months ago. Not that he didn't try to make 'Leagues' happen.

"The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" filmmaker needed a star and when his first choice Brad Pitt passed, Fincher had a tough time recasting and agreeing with Disney on who should lead the film. Daniel Craig and Matt Damon were both approached by Fincher, but a long, 140 day shoot in Australia was too much for each actor, who didn't want to be apart from their families for that long (Damon's father has been struggling with cancer as well, so that's a greater concern for the actor). While Channing Tatum's name cropped up earlier this year as one Fincher was considering, Disney apparently weren't so hot on the idea of the rising, but not-quite A-list actor leading a massively expensive project that already seemed dark, risky and expensive. Disney then wanted Chris Hemsworth, but Fincher decided to cut his losses and move on.

The director has his eyes set on the new project "Gone Girl" which will shoot this fall, and casting is underway, with the female lead now being sought (THR reports that Rosamund Pike now the frontrunner ahead of recently mentioned contenders Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron and Emily Blunt). It wouldn't be the first time Fincher (or any other filmmaker for that matter) has developed a project for a few months and eventually abandoned it (see "Chef," "Torso," "Heavy Metal," "Rendezvous With Rama"), and so he's pressing on to newer pastures.

Meanwhile, movement has been brewing on another David Fincher project recently. Sources close to the filmmaker's camp tell us Andrew Kevin Walker, "Seven" screenwriter and the scribe who also worked on "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea," has been hired to quietly work on the the script for "The Girl Who Played with Fire," the sequel to "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo." A ton of money has already been spent on the sequel, with Steve Zaillian paid a hefty sum to write the first draft, and Sony don't want to just write off that film, hence pursuing the sequel and trying to maintain whatever momentum that franchise has left. This is good news for fans of Fincher and the 'TGWTDT' series (Walker is apparently almost done with his draft), but there's a catch.

The window to shoot "The Girl Who Played with Fire" is incredibly small, and both Fincher and Craig are busy this fall. The director will be shooting "Gone Girl," while the actor is hitting Broadway to star in the play "Betrayal" opposite his wife Rachel Weisz, with the show running from October 1st to January 5, 2014. 'Played With Fire' would need to arguably shoot in early 2014, otherwise Sony would have to wait even longer as Daniel Craig will likely be busy for a large chunk of next year, shooting the Sam Mendes-directed "Bond 24" (which already has a 2015 release date). That's not to mention that Fincher will likely require several months of post-production on "Gone Girl."

So the question is, does Sony wait until 2015 to start shooting the "Dragon Tattoo' sequel or do they simply go with another director? The answer may have already arrived as THR notes that "Fincher's chances of helming ['Played With Fire']...are all but dead." Fincher signed a pay or play deal and gets rewarded handsomely whether he directs it or not, but Sony was said to not be happy when "Gone Girl" was announced last week, and it appears they are now prepared to continue the Millenium series without the director.

wilder

Rosamund Pike Takes Female Lead In David Fincher's 'Gone Girl'; Neil Patrick Harris & Tyler Perry Eyed For Roles
via The Playlist



THR reports that Rosamund Pike ("Jack Reacher," "An Education" and next month's "The World's End") has landed the female lead opposite Ben Affleck. But perhaps more intriguing is who is being eyed for supporting roles: Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry. Yes, really. We'll leave it to those who have read Gillian Flynn's book to tell us what those parts might be but did you ever think you'd live in a universe where the orbits of David Fincher, Ben Affleck and Tyler Perry would come colliding together? Anything is possible, we suppose.

The film, which follows a man who moves back home to Carthage, Missouri, to open a bar and becomes a prime suspect when his wife goes missing on their fifth wedding anniversary, will start filming in September.

wilder

David Fincher, 'Gone Girl' Author Reunite for HBO Drama Series
via Variety

Remake of British thriller from Shine America nabs series order

Fresh off their collaboration on the feature "Gone Girl," director David Fincher and scribe Gillian Flynn are teaming to adapt the British conspiracy thriller "Utopia" for HBO and Shine America.

HBO has given a series order to the project and struck an overall deal with Flynn, the novelist who penned the screenplay adaptation of her book "Gone Girl" for New Regency and Fox.

"Utopia" revolves around the drama that ensues when die-hard fans of an iconic graphic novel suddenly learn that the author has secretly written a sequel. The hunt for the manuscript becomes a thriller in itself as the meaning of the book is slowly revealed.

Fincher is on board to direct the pilot and exec produce with Flynn and Joshua Donen. Dennis Kelly, creator of the original Channel 4 series, is exec producing with Kudos' Jane Featherstone and Shine America's Carolyn Bernstein.

HBO had been eyeing "Utopia" as a vehicle for Fincher, who has a number of projects in the development at the pay cabler. After the helmer and Flynn hit it off while working on "Gone Girl," the scribe was a natural choice to take on "Utopia."

The series has just finished lensing its second season in the U.K. and is set to air later this year.

Project marks Fincher's TV followup to Netflix's "House of Cards," which is about to raise the curtain on its second season. Landing "Utopia" on HBO is a big score for the U.S. arm of Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine Group, which has been revving up its scripted series efforts. And it's another sign of HBO opening the tent to licensing deals with outside studios rather than producing in-house.

Flynn, repped by WME, has emerged as a star scribe thanks to the warm reception in Hollywood for her first novels, which also include "Dark Places" and "Sharp Objects."

"Gone Girl," about a woman who disappears on her fifth wedding anniversary, is set for release in October.

"Dark Places" has also been tabbed for a big screen adaptation starring Charlize Theron and Chloe Grace Moritz.

©brad

Am I the only one who still wants him to do The Girl Who Played With Fire?

MacGuffin

David Fincher in Talks to Direct Aaron Sorkin's Steve Jobs Biopic
Would reteam him with "The Social Network" producer Scott Rudin and scribe Aaron Sorkin
Source: Variety

After delivering the critical and box office smash "The Social Network," Sony has commissioned the Facebook drama's creative team for another high-profile techie-themed biopic, this time about Apple founder and tech pioneer Steve Jobs.

Sources tell Variety that David Fincher is in early talks to direct the untitled drama, written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and produced by Scott Rudin.

The film is based on the Walter Isaacson biography "Steve Jobs," to which Sony acquired the rights following the Apple mogul's death in 2011. Sorkin finished the script earlier this year.

Guymon Casady and Mark Gordon are also on board as producers.

Sorkin has publicly said the Jobs biopic will be divided into three long scenes, each taking place backstage before one of Apple's infamous product launches.

"The first one being the Mac," he told the Daily Beast. "The second one being NeXT, after he had left Apple. And the third one being the iPod."

"It's a little like writing about the Beatles," he added. "There are so many people out there that know him and revere him."

Fincher, who last directed "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" for Sony, is currently in post-production on Fox's "Gone Girl." If a deal is completed, filming would most likely not begin to later this year.

Though audiences didn't rush to see Open Road's Ashton Kutcher-starring "Jobs" last year, Sony is confident the Fincher-Sorkin project will have more commercial appeal, given the high-profile creative team involved, not to mention the fact that it's based on the only authorized biography that Jobs would give his blessing to prior to his death.

The biography, released in 2011, is based on more than 40 interviews Isaacson had with Jobs as well as more than 100 interviews with friends, family and a variety of other associates linked to Jobs over the years.

Fincher is repped by the law firm Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush & Kaller.

His next movie "Gone Girl," starring Ben Affleck, opens Oct. 3.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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MacGuffin

Fox Taps 'American Hustle' Scribe For 'Red Sparrow;' David Fincher, Rooney Mara Circle
BY Deadline
   
EXCLUSIVE: Fox is in talks with American Hustle scribe Eric Warren Singer to adapt the Jason Matthews espionage book Red Sparrow for Chernin Entertainment and Film Rites to produce. They have David Fincher and Rooney Mara circling to re-team for the first time since The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The film will be produced by Chernin Entertainment and Film Rites' Steve Zaillian and Garrett Basch. Zaillian wrote that 2011 adaptation of the Stieg Larsson novel.

This is early days, because Singer will have to adapt the book, but with the interest from Fincher and Mara, they have reason to move quickly. The story is set in present-day Russia, and Mara would play Russian intelligence officer Dominika Egorova, who struggles to survive in the post-Soviet intelligence jungle. Ordered against her will to become a "Sparrow," a trained seductress in the art of 'sexpionage,' Dominika is assigned to operate against Nathaniel Nash, a young CIA officer who handles the Agency's most important Russian mole. The two begin a relationship that puts both of them, and a network of spies, in grave danger. Dominika winds up seeking revenge against her soulless masters, and living a fatal double life after she is recruited by the CIA to ferret out a high-level traitor in Washington. This has been a hot project at the studio and for Chernin, and Film Rites previously had Darren Aronofsky circling.

There is topicality to the tale, given the Edward Snowden affair, and the dark themes and sexy female lead fit right into Fincher's wheelhouse. The book got strong reviews for its breakneck pace and for the author's success in putting classic espionage stuff in a contemporary context. Fincher just directed Gone Girl for Fox and New Regency. Singer's repped by CAA, Mara by WME.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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David Fincher: Interviews will be published as part of the Conversations with the Filmmakers series on August 1, 2014


MacGuffin

David Fincher & James Ellroy Plotting 1950s Crime Noir Series For HBO
Source: Indiewire

David Fincher has wanted to make a classic crime noir for several years now. People tend to forget, but the filmmaker almost directed "The Black Dahlia" (he was attached before Brian De Palma eventually took over), and for several years he tried to make "Torso," an Eliot Ness crime thriller about the famous detective trying to stop a serial killer in 1930s Cleveland (director David Lowery is making that now).

In fact, when Fincher was attached to the adaptation of James Ellroy's 'Dahlia' novel, he envisioned a five-hour, $80-million miniseries with movie stars (Tom Cruise being the lead). That obviously didn't happen and the project fell through (and Fincher moved on to "Zodiac"). But it seems that Fincher is circling around a similar idea, once again with Ellroy.

Sources close to the project (the same sources who told us about the new Lonergan project announced this weekend, that we unfortunately slept on because of TIFF) tell us that Fincher and Ellroy are talking to HBO, and planning a noir-ish crime show set in L.A., in a similar 1950s milieu (like Ellroy's "L.A. Confidential").

Details are scare at the moment, but Fincher and Ellroy are mutual admirers who go way back—after the "Black Dahlia" fell through, the two artists stayed in touch, and Ellroy even participated on one of the commentary tracks on the director's cut of "Zodiac" in 2007. No deal is in place yet, and all parties are still discussing the matter (though this could change soon), but the possibility of Fincher doing a hard-boiled '50s neo-noir with the great James Ellroy is a tantalizing prospect (note: pal Steven Soderbergh had a similar idea with Michael Douglas involved last year, but then got distracted with "The Knick"). As the L.A. Times wrote back in 2007, the men have a "mutual interest in obsession and the destruction it leaves behind."

Fincher has "Gone Girl" coming in the fall, but at the moment his attention has shifted away from film towards television, and right now he is actively developing three TV shows and no movies. And a lot of it is happening at HBO. One is the aforementioned Ellroy project, another is reteaming with "Gone Girl" author Gillian Flynn for an adaptation of her "Utopia," which already has a series order at HBO, and there's also "Mind Hunter," an old project with Charlize Theron involved (just as a producer) about the investigation of serial killers. That one was announced in 2010, but Fincher hasn't given up on it. It could even turn up at Netflix.

To that end, Fincher's washed his hands clean of "House Of Cards" and won't be back to direct any more episodes. This really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who watched season two become Beau Willimon's thing, and Fincher announced his own shows around the same time. Fincher helmed no episodes in the second run and was barely involved creatively. Now all that's left is a token executive producer credit.

For those wondering (or hoping), tax credits in Australia or no, Fincher is still not directing Disney's "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" any longer (he removed himself to that project a year ago and that hasn't changed). Several issues were at hand there, but a $200 million dollar 3D project from an uncompromising filmmaker might have been the biggest hurdle. The project always made Disney nervous, and Fincher is not a fan of banging his head against the wall with films that don't move forward. In case it does progress—for what it's worth, Disney wanted Chris Hemsworth as the lead at the time—as of now it looks as if screenwriter Scott Z. Burns is still attached.

But right now Fincher's finding the path of least resistance is in television. Studios there are all too happy to have him, and the idea of going, long, wide and deep into characters and story is currently his new fascination. If and when these projects get off the ground Fincher will be heavily involved, directing episodes and being integral to the creative process. But it seems, at the moment, the filmmaker's interest has shifted toward long form cinematic storytelling on different avenues of premium cable television.

Fun fact: the 2013 "Black Dahlia" graphic novel is co-credited to David Fincher because Matz (née French comic book writer Alexis Nolent) was so influenced by conversations with the filmmaker (who almost adapted Matz's "The Killer" graphic novel back in the day).
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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David Fincher Will Direct The Entire First Season Of HBO's 'Utopia' In 2015
via The Playlist

While David Fincher is no stranger to the small screen format (see our ranking of the 55 music videos he's directed to date), when it comes to actually getting behind the camera for TV episodes, he's hasn't quite jumped completely in the pool. Even though he's an executive producer on "House Of Cards," he only helmed the first two episodes. But with the upcoming "Utopia," it looks like Fincher is borrowing a page from his pal Steven Soderbergh, who dropped movies and headed to Cinemax to film the entire first season of "The Knick" (which you absolutely need to be watching if you're not already).

Chatting with The Guardian, Fincher revealed that he will be behind the camera for every episode of HBO's remake of the U.K. series "Utopia." The project, which has been brewing for a while, was given a series order by the network earlier this year, with "Gone Girl" author Gillian Flynn also on board to produce. The show (which has two seasons overseas) follows a group of people who get their hands on a cult graphic novel called "The Utopia Experiments," which seems to have predicted no shortage of disasters. An organization known only as The Network hunts them down as the group tries to prevent the next disaster predicted in the pages of the manuscript from happening.

"I like the world of it," Fincher told the paper. "I like the characters – I love Dennis's [Kelly, creator of the U.K. show] honesty and affinity for the nerds. I mean, I've always been a bit of a junior conspiracy theorist because I don't have time to connect them all! But it's nice to see that somebody has."

Fincher joins a growing number of directors taking their auteurist approach to the more freeing world of television. Need some examples? Okay, there's Sean Durkin ("Southcliffe," the excellent mini-series now streaming on Netflix), Jill Soloway ("Transparent," one of the best of Amazon's new shows), Jane Campion ("Top Of The Lake"), Cary Fukunaga ("True Detective")....you get the idea. Clearly, Fincher sees where the artistry is going and is following suit.

The gig will keep Fincher busy for much of 2015, and after that, he says he doesn't know his next movie yet. "Oddly enough," he says, "I did a remake of a literary adaptation, then I did a remake of a television show. Now I'm doing a literary adaptation [and then remaking another show]. I don't know: the pattern is not clear to me exactly what it is that I'm doing. But I'm sure it'll be illuminated for me. Your job is context. I'm just a hamster on a wheel!"

max from fearless

This is a cool video essay. (It's also good to watch after seeing Gone Girl...and makes me hungry to study the shots/set-ups/staging/delivery of information, in that movie...)

David Fincher - And the Other Way is Wrong

For sheer directorial craft, there are few people working today who can match David Fincher. And yet he describes his own process as "not what I do, but what I don't do." Join me today in answering the question: What does David Fincher not do?