As I’ve mentioned before, there is no movie I anticipate more than Fincher’s tackling of the making of “Citizen Kane,” zeroing in on the rivalry between ‘Kane’ screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, and director Orson Welles. Gary Oldman is set to play the legendary screenwriter. Fincher’s late father, Jack Fincher, wrote the screenplay for “Mank” more than two decades ago. Cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt will be in charge of the black and white photography. Messerschmidt’s credits include both seasons of Fincher’s Netflix’s series “Mindhunter” and FX’s “Legion.”
As mentioned, “Mank” will tackle the Welles-vs-Mankiewicz feud, which has been a controversial point of contention for the last 60 years, especially after the publication of Pauline Kael’s much-disputed 1971 essay, which claimed that the mastermind behind the ‘Kane’ screenplay was solely Mankiewicz and not Wells. I do wonder if Fincher will portray Wells as the villain or if he will try to give a fair and accurate assessment of what actually went down behind-the-scenes with ‘Kane.’ Kael’s assertions have been debunked numerous times by historians and scholars.
“Mank” is Fincher’s first feature film since 2014’s “Gone Girl.” Recently, the 58-year-old filmmaker has been concentrating on episodic Netflix content such as “House of Cards,” “Mindhunter,” and “Love, Death & Robots.” It’s almost a given to say that “Mank” is a bonafide Oscar contender.
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