"I want it to be kind of creepy": David Fincher revealed his take when asked to direct Harry Potter

Jan 02, 2025

Washington [USA], January 3 : David Fincher recently revealed that he was considered for the franchise of 'Harry Potter' before he pitched his take on the material.
In an interview with 'Variety', 'Seven' director said that he was asked for his take on the film Harry Potter and how would he approach it.
"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." said David Fincher.
However, on the contrary, Warner Bros. had something more traditional in mind for their series of adaptations of author J.K. Rowling's best-selling young adult books about the eponymous wizard, as per the report of Variety.
"They were like, 'We want Thom Browne schooldays by way of Oliver." said David Fincher.
Harry Potter is a film series based on the Harry Potter series of novels by JK Rowling. The series was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and consists of eight fantasy films.
The series starred Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson in lead roles.
Fincher is reportedly working on an American adaptation of Netflix's popular Korean series "Squid Game," as well as a miniseries prequel to "Chinatown" that he co-wrote with the film's late screenwriter, Robert Towne.
Discussing what draws him to new projects, he reflected on what appealed to him about past ones, several of which ("Dragon Tattoo," "Gone Girl") were based on material that had a pre-existing popularity.
Looking back at his superhit film, "The Social Network", Fincher called "It's just a script that you couldn't put down." He also shared his love for the film 'Zodiac.'
"[The Zodiac killer] was a boogeyman when I was a 7-year-old, and I was kind of going through the process the main character was going through -- what happened? I felt kindred to that. 'Benjamin Button,' I loved the idea of a romance with that kind of body count," he added, laughing. "There's different things about every movie." said Fincher as quoted by Variety.
Fincher underscored the significance each project sparks from a unique combination of personal interest and professional opportunity. "There are different things about stories that resonate with you based on movies you love and the kind of movies that you made," he said.
David Fincher is known for films like 'The Social Network', 'Zodiac', 'Fight Club' and others.