David Fincher has decided not to renew his deal at Netflix, per Bloomberg. This marks a turning point in his long relationship with the streamer. His current deal expires next year.
So where does he go? Paramount? Warner Bros.? Apple? Every studio head in town should be on the phone tonight. A free-agent Fincher is the most coveted filmmaker on the market, full stop.
Let that sink in. Fincher has been at Netflix longer than just about any creative, going all the way back to directing and executive producing “House of Cards” in 2013. This is the guy who helped build the house. And now he's walking out.
I floated this back in August when the Squid Game news broke. That U.S. spinoff got shelved, and it wasn't Fincher's call but Netflix's, since the company's priorities for the franchise had shifted. At the time I said "his days are numbered.”
The irony? In a 2024 interview with Le Monde, Fincher seemed convinced Netflix was the best place in Hollywood to make movies. And it made sense. His films are expensive, and Netflix let him make them. “Mank,” “The Killer,” “Mindhunter,” which we still mourn. Remember, Cannes boss' Thierry Frémaux even said Fincher had "left cinema" because of this arrangement.
Now the timing gets interesting. His Tarantino-scripted ‘Cliff Booth’ movie opens in IMAX on November 25. If rumors are true, and Netflix isn’t happy with the $200M they spent of this movie, the Fincher divorce makes even more sense.
This might also mean that Fincher's percolating projects at Netflix could now be shelved, including his Robert Towne-penned "Chinatown" prequel series and the neo-western "Bitterroot." The same goes for "Mindhunter," which had some fans clinging to hope that a third season might one day happen. And, as mentioned, "Squid Game: America" was recently canned by the streamer.
Garland's script is written. Boyle called it "fantastic" in that same interview, Murphy says he's ready, and Boyle wants to direct. All that's missing is the money.