director David Fincher's late father, Jack Fincher. David Fincher worked on the script with his father off and on for years and planned to film in the 1990s, but production challenges delayed the movie's premiere by decades. Now, Fincher's vision is finally coming to life Dec. 4 on Netflix, but why did it take so long to make?
Mank explores the life of a Hollywood legend - alcoholic writer Mankiewicz - by looking at his artistic influence on Citizen Kane. Filmed in black-and-white, the 131-minute movie is a love letter to 1940s Hollywood, with Fincher emulating old-school shooting techniques. Fincher's insistence on shooting the movie in that style is one of the reasons the film was delayed. Following Fincher's 1997 thriller The Game, Mank was set to be made by film studio Polygram, but a roadblock to black-and-white filming put a stop to production.
Years later, Fincher got another crack at making the film while working for Netflix, who allowed him to realize his true vision without any notable intrusion. The finished product stars Oscar-winner Gary Oldman as troubled artist Mankiewicz, Charles Dance as William Randolph Hearst, an inspirational figure for the protagonist of Citizen Kane, and Amanda Seyfried as Marion Davies, Hearst's mistress. After years of story changes, lack of buy-in from Hollywood, and Fincher's complex filming goals, Mank will now hit the big screen.
The script for Mank was written by Fincher's late father Jack Fincher, who died in 2003 at age 72. David Fincher worked on the script with his father for years, annotating outlines and at one point having weekly phone conversations about how the plot should be laid out, according to a report from EW. The screenplay underwent several major changes, including shifting focus from Mank's struggle to get credit for his work on Citizen Kane to his career and friendship with Hearst.
In the 1990s, Polygram showed an interest in producing Mank, with Mindhunter when a chance to produce Mank re-emerged.
The process of making Mank also took some time. Although the film was made using digital cameras (which are more consistent and reliable), Fincher was a stickler for ensuring it replicated the sound and look of 1940s movies. According to Variety, post-production involved digitally scratching images to they looked as if they were shot on celluloid film. The sound design also includes signature crackles and pops. Now, in 2020, viewers can finally be transported back to the Golden Age of Hollywood.
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