At long last, the wait is over. Netflix has released the firstMankteaser trailer for directorDavid Fincher’s highly anticipated upcoming film — his first feature since 2014’sGone Girl—and pardon my French but it looks fan-fucking-tastic.
Mank, delivered in splendid black-and-white by DPErik Messerschmidt(who also shotMindhunter), starsGary OldmanasHerman J. Mankiewicz, the eccentric, alcoholic, and tempestuous screenwriter behind cinema classicCitizen Kane, directed by eccentric, tempestuous wunderkindOrson Welles(played here byTom Burke). Other notable performers includeAmanda SeyfriedasMarion Davies, widely considered to be the inspiration for a particularly unlikable character; andCharles Danceas “Citizen Kane” himself,William Randolph Hearst.
Fincher works from a screenplay written by his late fatherJack Fincher, and the result of Fincher + 1930s/40s Hollywood as teased in this first look at footage is a match made in heaven. It looks as though the entire style ofMank, from the sound design to the cinematography, is meant to mimic the sound and look of a film made in 1940. Obviously Fincher and Messerschmidt shot this thing digitally (as is Fincher’s way), but the manipulation of the footage to get what we see here is a thing of beauty, and really has me hoping there’s a feature-length making-of documentary in the works at Netflix.
As for the story, we don’t see too much — thisisa teaser trailer after all — but the making ofCitizen Kaneand the screenwriting battles between Mank and Welles is the stuff of legend, and given that Fincher is a stickler for accuracy I can’t wait to see how it’s all portrayed.
And is thatTrent ReznorandAtticus Ross' score we hear in this teaser? Because if so, holy fucking shit.
So yeah, you could say I’m a little excited for this one. See for your self below — both the brief teaser and a longer trailer the debuted on Reddit. And if you’re a true Fincher fanatic, I suggest checking outthe 43-minute reddit videothat served as a build-up to the trailer debut, which is loaded with Fincher Easter eggs.
Mankwill be released in select theaters in November and will premiere on Netflix on December 4th. Check out the official trailer and synopsis below. For more on the film, here’sa boatload of dang images!
Here’s the official synopsis forMank:
1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane for Orson Welles.
