David Fincher Might Choose 20,000 Leagues Over Dragon Tattoo Sequels
Earlier it was announced that Sony was indeed making the sequels to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. David Fincher was not mentioned as signing on to direct those two films. Now, ThePlaylist is hearing that because of tension during the production of Dragon Tattoo, Fincher might walk. They site troubles between David, Sony and producer Scott Rubins during the filming. I assume Fincher ended up butting heads with the studio over creative control and the material’s graphic nature.
Fincher could end up jumping on board his long in development 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea project at Disney. The script by Scott Z. Burns which the director is happy with is currently undergoing rewrites from Se7en scribe Andrew Kevin Walker. There is no confirmation that he has chosen either project but the director has options that he can use when talking with Sony about contracts.
Dragon Tattoo Sequels Confirmed
Deadline reports that Sony is moving forward the two sequels to David Fincher’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Screenwriter Steve Zaillian has finished scripts for both The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest. However, Fire will end up getting massive changes to include Lisbeth (Mara) as more of a central characters. Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig are apparently locked in for the two sequels. David Fincher on the other hand has yet to sign on to return in the director’s chair. They say that shooting could start by the end of 2012 or early 2013. Fincher previously stated that the films could shoot back-to-back if they were greenlit.
It’s very likely that David Fincher will return for the sequels as he’s been mentioning his involvement in the trilogy since day one. I’m sure it will all come down to budgets for the two productions and creative control before his signs on. There is zero mention of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross returning but considering the buzz the score and cover songs did for the film. I would be shocked if Fincher/Sony didn’t ask them to come back as well. I assume the the big rewrites are also to further distance the Fincher films from the Swedish movies.
Dragon Tattoo Sequels Could Shoot In The Next 12-18 Months
TheNewYorkTimes (via ThePlaylist) reports while David Fincher hasn’t officially committed to sequels to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo they will be shot within the next 12-18 months. It’s not mentioned but it had been rumored the two sequels The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest would be shot back-to-back.
The only issue here would be if Fincher had to go back to working on Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. I’ve noticed one big thing about Dragon Tattoo that being the stunning amount of sets and production design. If David and his team didn’t already have production designs set for the sequels (which I assume they do considering they’re extensive stay in Sweden for the first film’s shoot), they would need a lot more time. Here’s hoping that Fincher quickly moves on finishing the trilogy before moving on to other things.
Steve Zaillian Currently Writing The Girl Who Played With Fire But Will It Be Next For Fincher?
Deadline reports that Steve Zaillian (Schindler’s List, Gangs of New York) is currently writing the script for the second film in the Millennium trilogy for director David Fincher. Zaillian is an accomplished writer who is also currently working on The Red Riding Trilogy remakes and the new gangster flick The Irishman for Martin Scorsese.
This gives the impression production could be moving quickly on the second installment. There had been talk that the final two films in the trilogy The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest would be shot back to back. It would make sense to shoot the two films at once to save money on production costs along with being able to keep the in-demand Daniel Craig in the lead role.
The same story brings up a new project for Fincher which has Sony looking to him to direct their new Cleopatra film which has Angelina Jolie attached in the lead. It’s unlikely as it could end up conflicting with Disney’s 20, 000 Leagues Under The Sea: Captain Nemo which Fincher has been involved with for a while now.
Fincher is in a unique position where he can make a passion project over a commercial studio project like Captain Nemo or Cleopatra. I wouldn’t rule out Fincher moving forward with Fire and Hornet’s Nest before jumping into these effects heavy and time consuming blockbusters. As the turn around time for post-production on the Millennium films would be minimal as everything is in camera and special effects would be limited.
Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Coming Dec 2011, Sequels?
The NYTimes has finally confirmed that David Fincher will direct the remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The film will be coming to theaters in Dec 2011. Brad Pitt and Carey Mulligan have been rumored for the lead roles. The only issue is that they’ll have to be open to return for two more films.
Speaking of sequels the same article has confirmed that if the studio moves forward with more movies they’ll be shot back to back. Yet there is no word if Fincher will return for the two films. It’s expected they won’t go into production until 2012-2013 so we’ll have plenty of time to wait and see what happens. Fincher apparently has on option to direct the second film and I’m sure he would be able to shot them both relatively cheap and fast. The two books which could become sequels include The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest and The Girl Who Played With Fire.
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