A new David Fincher film is always something to be excited about. But even by his standards, it seems Mank could be something special – for his first movie since 2014’s Gone Girl (he was busy on Netflix series Mindhunter in the intervening years) he’s harking back to the Golden Age of Hollywood, telling the story of Herman ‘Mank’ Mankiericz, the screenwriter behind Orson Welles’ all-time-classic Citizen Kane. And going by the teaser – which offers a look at Gary Oldman in the lead role, as well as Amanda Seyfried as actor Marion Davis – it seems Fincher is having a whale of a time painstakingly recreating the Hollywood of old.
Presented in striking black-and-white, with a retro soundscape and digitally-applied celluloid marks, Fincher is using contemporary filmmaking techniques to take us back 90 years – and it looks thoroughly impressive. And that throwback text across the screen? Gorgeous stuff. And beyond all of the styling, it looks like we’re in for another incredible Gary Oldman performance. In Empire’s Mank set feature – in the latest issue, on sale now – he spoke about giving a stripped-back turn, eschewing the impressive make-up and lavish costumes he often dons for roles. ““I can’t remember the last time I did that. I’ve always got something!” he said. “No tricks. No nothing. Just: here it is. I’ve embraced it.”
As a Netflix film, Mank really is coming out this year – with a cinema release scheduled at some point in November, followed by a streaming release on 4 December. After Roma and The Irishman, it looks like Netflix is once again on the Oscar trail – and considering how much the Academy loves movies about, well, movies, this is certainly one to watch in the awards race.