In a rather candid interview with
Playboy the director of
The Social Network and
Fight Club discussed his plans to adapt Jules Verne's classic novel,
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. A film that was nixed because Fincher and Disney could not agree on the cast.
FINCHER: Dude, it was [frick]ing cool. It was smart and crazy entertaining, with the Nautilus crew fighting every kind of gigantic Ray Harryhausen thing. But it also had this riptide to it. We were doing Osama bin Nemo, a Middle Eastern prince from a wealthy family who has decided that white imperialism is evil and should be resisted. The notion was to put kids in a place where they’d say, “I agree with everything he espouses. I take issue with his means—or his ends.” I really wanted to do it, but in the end I didn’t have the stomach lining for it. A lot of people flourish at Hollywood studios because they’re fear-based. I have a hard time relating to that, because I feel our biggest responsibility is to give the audience something they haven’t seen.
I've always been a huge fan of Fincher's work, especially
The Game. Oddly enough, Fincher says in the interview that he regrets making that film as he didn't feel he provided a sufficient third act. That's a shame. I thought it was great from start to finish, but what do I know.
And for those, like me, hoping Fincher would one day add his unique vision and voice to a superhero film, you'll be disappointed with his thoughts on the genre.
FINCHER: I find it dull. I like to anticipate the energy of a movie audience that’s waiting for the curtain to come up and thinking, Well, one thing we don’t know about this guy is that we don’t know how bad it can get.
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