David Fincher Once Pitched a Dark and Creepy ‘Harry Potter’ Adaptation to Warner Bros.

David Fincher discussed a previous meeting with Warner Bros. where he presented his idea for adapting J.K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ series in an interview with Variety, which was promoting the 4K re-release of his thriller ‘Seven’. Fincher disclosed that he has no intention of producing a polished, conventional Hollywood adaptation of the novels. Rather, influenced by the tone of ‘Withnail and I’, he suggested a more sinister, eerie strategy. His idea, which he described as “kind of creepy,” ran counter to Warner Bros.’s goal. The studio was looking for a more traditional and wholesome approach, something like ‘Oliver’ blended with ‘Tom Brown’s School Days’.

In the end, Warner Bros. rejected Fincher’s idea and chose Chris Columbus to helm the franchise’s opening two movies. Columbus’s family-friendly style served as the foundation for the ‘Harry Potter’ series, which ran for eight films between 2001 and 2011. But in 2004, Alfonso Cuarón’s ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ gave the series a darker tone.

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With a 2027 TV version, Warner Bros. is now reviving the series, and more than 32,000 kid actors are apparently trying out for the part.

Despite not directing ‘Harry Potter’, Fincher’s career went on with critically acclaimed movies like the Oscar-winning ‘Mank’ (2020) and ‘The Social Network’ (2010). Future TV projects he is working on include an English-language version of ‘Squid Game’, a series that is frequently likened to his 1996 movie ‘The Game’. Furthermore, Fincher recently discussed how audiences have viewed his cult masterpiece ‘Fight Club’ in different ways throughout the years.

–Farheen Ali