David Fincher, Robert Towne to co-write Chinatown prequel series pilot for Netflix
David Fincher is acquiring more real estate at Netflix.
The filmmaker and frequent Mindhunter director has closed a deal to co-write a pilot script for a prequel to the iconic 1974 film Chinatown, EW has confirmed. Fincher will collaborate on the script with Robert Towne, who penned the original film. Deadline first reported the news.
The prequel series would reportedly focus on a young Jake Gittes, the hardboiled private eye played by Jack Nicholson in the film, as he investigates cases in Los Angeles. The project is in the very early stages of development; it has not yet been confirmed whether Fincher will direct the pilot. (Netflix did not respond to EW’s request for comment.)
Chinatown, directed by Roman Polanski and produced by the late Robert Evans, follows Gittes as he looks into a complex case involving land deals and the L.A. water supply (it’s much more intriguing than it sounds), leading him down a sinister rabbit hole. As one might gather from his filmography, Fincher is a huge fan of the film; he even recorded a commentary track with Towne for its DVD release.
Fincher first collaborated with Netflix on House of Cards before executive-producing Mindhunter and the animated anthology series Love, Death & Robots. He is also directing the film Mank, a biopic starring Gary Oldman as Citizen Kane co-writer Herman Mankiewicz, for the streaming service, based on a screenplay by Fincher’s late father.
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