David Fincher is undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s finest filmmakers and his impressive films throughout the years have shown his mastery towards his craft. He has made some of the best crime/psychological thrillers that have become era-defining films like Se7en, Fight Club, and Zodiac.
The maverick director is among the auteur directors who have not ventured into big-budget filmmaking and superhero films. The director had a rather interesting reply when he was asked about stepping into the world of comic-book films.
David Fincher Will Make a Superhero Film Under One Condition
David Fincher has made his name in the industry with many great films that explore the human psyche and address the socio-political conditions of society. He has a knack for tapping into the dark corners of human existence to tell authentic and bold stories. With films like Gone Girl, Fight Club, and The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, fans have loved the Fincher brand of filmmaking over the years.
Despite being a big-name director, he has not dabbled in the world of superheroes and comic book films. At 2019’s SXSW film festival, the director was asked by Observer whether it was a genre that he would like to explore as a filmmaker. Fincher revealed that he could maybe do it, on one specific condition.
He stated that he was open to doing a zombie film before and wouldn’t mind doing a superhero film if it had a fresh story. He doesn’t want to enter a pre-existing franchise and be restricted by its rules and world-building. Instead, he would be interested in creating a new original superhero. He said,
“I don’t know, maybe. I was open to doing a zombie movie. I think in terms of stories—I don’t want to have to go and they say, ‘Okay, you have to dream up something for Meteor Man or whatever.’ I don’t want to have to cobble together something around a pre-existing mask or uniform or cape or idea.”
Fincher’s comments mean that he will never enter the DC or Marvel universe. The director is more comfortable in his wheelhouse and is not interested in entering someone’s world where he will have limited scope to explore and contribute as a filmmaker. His recent film The Killer is as close he will get to doing a superhero-esque action film.
Denzel Washington Regrets Turning Down David Fincher’s Se7en
David Fincher‘s 1995 film Se7en is considered one of his best works and starred Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt. The film was about two cops trying to stop a serial killer who chooses and kills his victims based on the seven deadly sins. The film is a now cult classic and the infamous line “What’s In The Box?” has become a pop culture phenomenon.
However, Pitt was not the first choice for the role of David Mills in Se7en. Denzel Washington was originally set to play the character. In an interview with Jamie Foxx for Grey Goose Vodka, Washington revealed that he turned down the film as he thought it was too dark and demonic,
However, he regretted his decision when he saw how great the film turned out to be. Nevertheless, he is happy that it turned out that way. He said,
“I turned down Se7en. They wanted me to play the Brad Pitt part. I thought the script was too demonic, then I saw the movie, and I was like ‘Oh, I blew it.’ But, you know, it worked out alright.”
Fincher and Pitt went on to work together in two more films Fight Club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Fincher’s most recent release was the action thriller The Killer which is streaming on Netflix. Fans can watch Se7en on Max.
