Mank trailer: David Fincher returns with his ode to the writer of Citizen Kane
Gary Oldman plays screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz in Fincher's black-and-white Netflix movie
David Fincher's back! The acclaimed filmmaker behind SE7EN and The Social Network hasn't made a feature-length movie since Gone Girl in 2014 – instead, he's been busy producing Netflix House of Cards, Mindhunter, and Love, Death & Robots. Now, Fincher returns with Mank, a retelling of the fraught writing process that led to Citizen Kane.
The first trailer for Mank showcases the Netflix movie's black-and-white, '30s aesthetic, with Gary Oldman playing troubled screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish Citizen Kane for Orson Welles. What came next is the stuff of Hollywood legend, with claims having since been thrown around that Welles gave himself a writing credit despite adding nothing, while others have argued otherwise.
The script for Mank was originally written by Jack Fincher, David Fincher's father, in the '90s, and was due to be David's project after The Game. However, the project never came to fruition, and Jack Fincher's died in 2003. Netflix agreed to produce the project in early 2019, with filming taking place later that year.
The Mank cast includes Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, Charles Dance, and Tom Burke as Orson Welles. Mank will have a limited cinema run before reaching the streaming service on December 4. In the meantime, check out the best Netflix movies to watch right now.
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Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.