David Fincher is back with what sure looks like a deliciously oddball project even by his standards. Mank tells the true story of Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman), the man tasked with writing the script for Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane. It’s one of the craziest stories from 1930s Hollywood, featuring an alcoholic social critic attempting to tell the story of William Hearst without upsetting the wrong people. Amanda Seyfried and Lily Collins are here too, shot in gorgeously old-timey black-and-white. And that music you hear is from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who won an Oscar for scoring Fincher’s Social Network.
In other word, this is a real Oscar contender — especially in this weird year, and especially given its juicy subject matter. And best of all, it’s happening on Netflix, so no fears of any delays. It’ll drop on December 4.
