David Fincher has revealed that he once met with Warner Bros. to discuss directing a Harry Potter movie – but the Se7en director and the studio reportedly had conflicting visions for the project.
"I was asked to come in and talk to them about how I would do Harry Potter," Fincher told Variety. "I remember saying, 'I just don't want to do the clean Hollywood version of it. I want to do something that looks a lot more like Withnail and I, and I want it to be kind of creepy.'"
That wasn't exactly what Warner Bros. had in mind, though. Fincher added, "They were like, 'We want Tom Brown's School Days by way of Oliver.'"
Fincher is best known for movies like Panic Room, The Social Network, and Zodiac, so a family-friendly fantasy franchise would have been an unexpected addition to his filmography. However, he's no stranger to bringing novels to the big screen, with adaptations of Fight Club, Gone Girl, and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo under his belt.
His latest movie was The Killer, released in 2023 and starring Michael Fassbender as an assassin. As for his next project, there have been rumors that he'll helm an English-language adaptation of hit Netflix series Squid Game. "I've also read news about David Fincher taking on a spin-off of Squid Game, and it isn't something that's been shared with me officially, so it's tricky to comment," the show's creator Hwang Dong-hyuk recently commented.
"But having said that, as a big fan of David Fincher, you know, I hugely respect a lot of his work. If he actually were to do the spin-off of Squid Game, I personally, as a fan, I am very excited to see what happens. You know, I can't wait to see what he has in store."
While we wait to see what's next for Fincher, check out our guide to the best upcoming movies on the way in 2025.
