Last night, David Fincher and Steven Soderbergh were part of a master class conversation at the 2023 Tribeca Festival.
Fincher confirmed that he’s working on a 4K remaster of his 1995 “Se7en,” stressing that he’s “fundamentally against the idea of changing what [the film] is,” adding, “I’m not gonna take all the guns out of people’s hands and replace them with flashlights.” A clear nod and a wink to what Spielberg did with his E.T. re-edit.
I’ve read a few pieces that tackled last night’s conversation, but the most intriguing part seemed to be when Fincher decided to talk a bit about his 2011 remake of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.”
Sony Pictures wanted him to make a trilogy out of that film, which starred Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig, but it barely crossed the $100 million mark in the U.S. on a production budget in the $90 million range.
Fincher mentioned that the film took 140 days to shoot. It wasn’t all smooth sailing either, with nine hour days and a budget that kept growing. Nevertheless, he seems to have no regrets making the film:
I was proud of it. I thought we did what we set out to do…when people said it cost too much for what the return on investment was, I said, ‘Ok, swing and a miss.'
Listen, Fincher’s 160-minute version of ‘Dragon Tatto’ ain't perfect, but it had these incredibly engrossing moments, filled with pulp, and Rooney Mara was magnificent as Lisbeth Salander.
It also featured one of the best and most eye-popping opening credits in recent memory: a mix of computer cables, naked bodies and dark blood splattered on the screen as Trent Reznor's scorching remake of Zeppelin's “Immigrant Song” played in the background.
It’s hard to believe, but Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” was met with boos at its Cannes premiere in May 2006. The film also received mixed reviews from critics and remains “rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes.