Netflix has released the first trailer for David Fincher’s eagerly-anticipated new film Mank, a project which arrives as the director’s first since his 2014 effort Gone Girl.
The drama, which tells the story of Herman J. Mankiewicz, the screenwriter behind Orson Welles’s legendary film Citizen Kane in his attempts to complete the screenplay, stars the likes of Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried and Charles Dance.
“1930s Hollywood is reevaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz,” the film’s synopsis reads, adding: “as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane.”
Fincher, working from a script written by his father Jack, worked alongside Ceán Chaffin, Douglas Urbanski, and Eric Roth who are all on producing duties in what is a deeply personal project for the director. The original script for Mank was first created by his father back in 1990s and, while Fincher has always intended to complete the film, it has repeatedly suffered setbacks in its attempts to get off the ground.
“It’s so freaking good,” said screenwriter Aaron Sorkin recently of the film. “Written by [Fincher’s] dad, who is a brilliant screenwriter. But David has directed this movie just magnificently. It’s breathtaking even by David Fincher standards. Gary Oldman gives an amazing performance, so does Lily Collins, and so does Amanda Seyfried as Marion Davies.”
Given the star names on the cast, Fincher has also recruited the award-winning Nine Inch Nails duo Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to compose the score for Mank, a project which is being lined up to be released for streaming on December 4th.
For now though, enjoy the first trailer.
