David Fincher and Charlize Theron developing Mindhunter for Netflix

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

David Fincher and Charlize Theron, already bonded by their appreciation of Gillian Flynn (he directed GONE GIRL, she starred in DARK PLACES) are collaborating on a very intriguing project for Netflix. The duo will executive produce MINDHUNTER, which is based on John Douglas and Mark Olshaker’s true crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit.

The fascinating synopsis of the book:

During his twenty-five-year career with the Investigative Support Unit, Special Agent John Douglas became a legendary figure in law enforcement, pursuing some of the most notorious and sadistic serial killers of our time: the man who hunted prostitutes for sport in the woods of Alaska, the Atlanta child murderer, and Seattle’s Green River killer, the case that nearly cost Douglas his life. As the model for Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs, Douglas has confronted, interviewed, and studied scores of serial killers and assassins, including Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, and Ed Gein, who dressed himself in his victims’ peeled skin. Now, in chilling detail, the legendary Mindhunter takes us behind the scenes of some of his most gruesome, fascinating, and challenging cases — and into the darkest recesses of our worst nightmares.

British playwright and screenwriter Joe Penhall (THE ROAD) is attached as a writer on the project, but it’s unclear if he’ll serve as the showrunner.

Fincher and Theron have been trying to get Mindhunter off the ground for a few years; it was set up at HBO in 2010 but obviously never moved forward. Fincher already has a relationship with Netflix – he’s an executive producer on House of Cards – and so the streaming service appears to be a perfect fit for this challenging material.