David Fincher Was in Talks to Direct a HARRY POTTER Movie and He Wanted It to Be "Kind of Creepy"
Director David Fincher, who is celebrated for his dark, psychologically intense films like Se7en, Zodiac, and Gone Girl, once had a surprising opportunity to direct a Harry Potter movie!
The project obviously never materialized, and that is due to the creative differences between Fincher and Warner Bros.
In a recent interview with Variety, Fincher revealed: “I was asked to come in and talk to them about how I would do Harry Potter. 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.’”
As you might have expected, this pitch didn’t align with Warner Bros.’ vision for the family-friendly fantasy franchise. The studio had a more traditional tone in mind, as Fincher explained:
“They were like, ‘We want Tom Brown’s School Days by way of Oliver.’”
Given Fincher’s interest in exploring humanity's darker corners, it’s easy to imagine his take on J.K. Rowling’s magical world as something very different from what fans ultimately saw in the films.
While his directorial style might have been an unusual fit for the wizarding world, it’s interesting to consider how Fincher’s atmospheric storytelling could have redefined Hogwarts. I actually would’ve liked to see a Harry Potter movie directed by Fincher!
Fincher most recently directed The Killer, a razor-sharp thriller starring Michael Fassbender as a methodical assassin. As for what’s next, rumors have swirled about Fincher directing an English-language spin-off of Netflix’s Squid Game.
While nothing official has been officially announced, the show’s creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, expressed enthusiasm for the possibility: “If he actually were to do the spin-off of Squid Game, I personally, as a fan, am very excited to see what happens.”
Although we’ll never see David Fincher’s vision of Harry Potter, the idea of his haunting, offbeat take on Hogwarts adds a fascinating “what if” scenario to think about.