david fincher He will leave his exclusive Netflix deal when the agreement expires next year. The filmmaker, known for Fight Club, The Social Network, and Gone Girl, has worked closely with the streamer since the early days of House of Cards and Mindhunter.
David Fincher is preparing to end his exclusive Netflix deal after three films for the streamer
Diversity Fincher reportedly signed an exclusive deal with Netflix in 2020 and has since made three films for the platform: Mank, The Killer, and the upcoming The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth.
according to bloombergHe doesn’t plan on signing another overall deal with a different studio, meaning future projects could still bring him back to Netflix. However, Netflix did not respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, Fincher is among several prominent filmmakers and producers who have recently moved away from Netflix. Noah Baumbach signed with Warner Bros. after making his last four films on the streamer, while Stranger Things creator Shawn Levy moved to Disney’s 20th Century. Ross and Matt Duffer also transferred their deals to Paramount.
Fincher’s upcoming Cliff Booth, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood spinoff starring Brad Pitt, is scheduled to premiere in IMAX theaters on November 25 before arriving on Netflix on December 23.
The theatrical release is part of Netflix’s effort to work more with filmmakers who want their movies on the big screen. Sony had previously released Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which was a critical and commercial success.
Tom Rothman, president of Sony’s Motion Picture Group, explained why the sequel ultimately went to Fincher. In his words, “We were going to make the film while Quentin was directing it, but he decided he didn’t want to do it and changed course.” He added, “The only other person he was comfortable with directing his script was David Fincher, and David Fincher was doing an exclusive for Netflix, so we weren’t going to stand in anyone’s way.”
Now, with Fincher’s Netflix exclusivity ending, Rothman’s final line takes on a different meaning: “Now’s your chance, Tom!”