Six years after directingGone Girl, David Fincher has returned to feature films withNetflix’s biographical dramaMank. Audiences can expect the partnership between Fincher and Netflix to continue as the filmmaker has confirmed he signed an exclusive four-year deal with the streamer.
Fincher and Netflix have already established a working relationship over the years, with the filmmaker serving as a co-executive producer and occasional director on one of the service’s initial hits,House of Cards. Since the political drama debuted, Fincher has also brought the animated anthology seriesLove, Death, and Robotsto Netflix.
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Fincher confirmed his four-year deal with Netflix during an interview with French magazinePremiere. “Yes, I have an exclusivity deal with [Netflix] for another four years,” Fincher said. “And depending onMank’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. [Laughs] No, I’m here to deliver them ‘content’ — whatever it means— likely to bring them spectators, in my small sphere of influence.” Fincher also reiterated howthe grueling production schedule ofMindhunterand the desire to focus on a smaller project is what led him to bring the script forMankto Netflix.
Fincher also explained that he feelsNetflix is the perfect homefor his future works because he will be granted creative freedom that may not be afforded elsewhere. “Now [because] I signed this Netflix deal it’s also because I’d like to work like Picasso painted, to try very different things, to attempt to break the shape or change the operating mode,” he explained before acknowledging his relatively small filmography. “I like the idea of having a body of work. And yes, I admit that it feels strange, after forty years in this profession, to only have ten films under my belt. Well, eleven, but ten that I can say are mine. Yes, objectively, it is a pretty terrifying observation.”
Mankdepicts the life of writer Herman J. Mankiewicz during the time he penned theAcademy Award-winningscreenplay forCitizen Kaneand feuded withdirector Orson Welles over credit for the script. Fincher’s father, the late Jack Fincher, will receive sole writing credit for the drama, having penned the screenplay in the 1990s.
Netflix is no stranger to enlisting notable Hollywood creatives for exclusive deals.American Horror Storycreator Ryan Murphy, for example, signed a $300 million development deal with Netflix, the largest of its kind in television history.
Mankwill receive a limited theatrical release on June 12, 2025, before debuting on Netflix on July 19, 2025.
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