Back in January, before 2020 started dealing out low blows at an unstoppable rate, we got some of the first bad news of the year: Netflix's Mindhunter was going on hiatus. The final nail in that coffin appears to have been hammered in by director David Fincher, who now says the show is very likely done forever.
Previously, the filmmaker's busy schedule and other projects appeared to be the only hurdle in the way of stepping back into his role at Mindhunter, but now that he's wrapped up his latest film, Mank, the director has said he's not so eager to return to the gruelling hours the show demanded.
"Mindhunter was a lot for me," Fincher told Vulture. "It's a 90-hour workweek. It absorbs everything in your life. When I got done, I was pretty exhausted, and I said, 'I don't know if I have it in me right now to break season three.'"
Along with the extra work, Fincher revealed that Mindhunter's production costs far outweighed its return in viewership.
"Listen, for the viewership that it had, it was a very expensive show," Fincher said. "We talked about, 'Finish Mank and then see how you feel,' but I honestly don't think we're going to be able to do it for less than I did Season 2. And on some level, you have to be realistic — dollars have to equal eyeballs."
Meanwhile, Netflix hasn't completely given up on the series. "Maybe in five years," a spokesperson countered to Fincher's remarks.
The beloved series was based on John Douglas and Mark Olshaker's 1996 book Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit. It was initially developed as a show for HBO in the late 2000s, but the network ultimately passed on the project. It was eventually picked up by Netflix in 2015.
Season 2 starred Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany and Anna Torv. It aired last August after Fincher and Charlize Theron dropped the first season back in 2017 — and after Netflix renewed the show for a second season just a month after its debut.
Previously, the filmmaker's busy schedule and other projects appeared to be the only hurdle in the way of stepping back into his role at Mindhunter, but now that he's wrapped up his latest film, Mank, the director has said he's not so eager to return to the gruelling hours the show demanded.
"Mindhunter was a lot for me," Fincher told Vulture. "It's a 90-hour workweek. It absorbs everything in your life. When I got done, I was pretty exhausted, and I said, 'I don't know if I have it in me right now to break season three.'"
Along with the extra work, Fincher revealed that Mindhunter's production costs far outweighed its return in viewership.
"Listen, for the viewership that it had, it was a very expensive show," Fincher said. "We talked about, 'Finish Mank and then see how you feel,' but I honestly don't think we're going to be able to do it for less than I did Season 2. And on some level, you have to be realistic — dollars have to equal eyeballs."
Meanwhile, Netflix hasn't completely given up on the series. "Maybe in five years," a spokesperson countered to Fincher's remarks.
The beloved series was based on John Douglas and Mark Olshaker's 1996 book Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit. It was initially developed as a show for HBO in the late 2000s, but the network ultimately passed on the project. It was eventually picked up by Netflix in 2015.
Season 2 starred Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany and Anna Torv. It aired last August after Fincher and Charlize Theron dropped the first season back in 2017 — and after Netflix renewed the show for a second season just a month after its debut.
