David Fincher may not have worked since 2014's Gone Girl, however the acclaimed director has been attached to a number of interesting projects since then.
Fincher was originally lined up to direct the Steve Jobs biopic, but departed once the studio refused to pay his fee and give him final cut. Meanwhile, a rumoured HBO project about his early days as a music video director was shelved for unknown reasons, possibly relating to the so-so fortunes of the similarly music-themed Vinyl. Fincher was also working with Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn on a remake of Channel 4's Utopia for HBO, but that apparently fell apart due to budgetary reasons.
A report by THR has it that Fincher has been approached to direct World War Z 2 and is keen to do it, but that it's up to Paramount to make the deal. It had been reported previously J.A. Bayona - who's currently directing the follow-up to Jurassic World - was lined up to direct, but backed out over concerns relating to preparation time.
World War Z 2 was originally slated for a June 9th release, but was pulled from the release schedule yesterday by Paramount. The sequel has Brad Pitt attached as both star and producer, and as we know, Pitt and Fincher have worked together successfully in the past for Fight Club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
The first World War Z film, however, had a number of reshoots and went through several edits, all of which likely ate into the profits of the film - which totalled $540 million worldwide. Paramount's reluctance to sign a deal with Fincher for a sequel is interesting, as Fincher's previous work speaks for itself.
It could be that Paramount doesn't want a repeat of what happened on the first film, however THR's report says that Fincher was happy to make the film within the budget constraints set down by Paramount.
So, again, the question is why isn't this happening? We'll be keeping an eye on this one, regardless.
Via THR