‘Chinatown’ Prequel Series in the Works at Netflix; Robert Towne Set to Write the Pilot, David Fincher May Direct

Nov 20, 2019

Forget it, GWW readers, it’s Chinatown. Deadline reports that the streaming service Netflix is teaming up with acclaimed director David Fincher (‘Se7en,’ ‘Zodiac’) and original ‘Chinatown’ screenwriter Robert Towne to produce a pilot episode for a potential prequel series to Roman Polanski’s timeless neo-noir film ‘Chinatown.’ Towne previously won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for ‘Chinatown’ over forty years ago and wrote the script for its sequel ‘The Two Jakes’ in 1990.

Fincher and Towne will both act as executive producers for the series, along with Josh Donen. The prequel series will reportedly focus on a younger depiction of Jack Nicholson’s character from the film, Jake Gittes, as the detective works his way through “a town where the wealthy and corruption involves areas like land, oil and gangs.

While most would assume that Fincher will direct the pilot episode of the series, the site notes that isn’t covered in the deal, which currently covers only a pilot script. However considering his successes with previous Netflix original series ‘House of Cards’ and ‘Mindhunter,’ it seems likely that Fincher will ultimately direct the pilot. Currently, Fincher is directing an original feature film for Netflix (‘Mank’), a drama biopic about the ‘Citizen Kane’ screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz.

Source: Deadline