I’ve read more than once that Dragon Tattoo will be Fincher’s post-Oscar baiting film, as he returns to blatantly dark thrillers. I love the idea that making a movie about Facebook, centering it around a Harvard tech nerd, and then darting off across the ocean to film another movie during awards campaigning season is considered Oscar-baiting. The Oscars should be so lucky as to always be baited as such.

Regardless, it’s true that Fincher seems to be shifting gears a bit, and part of that process is the formation and activity of his new company Panic Pictures. The company will act as a mini-Fincher studio that pumps capital into projects that big studios can then pick up for distribution. A kind of major director-centered version of the modern independent film paradigm. And if it’s not already appropriate enough that the Panic Room director named his shingle with that moniker, the company’s first option has been for the book Panic Attack, by Jason Starr.

The story centers around a therapist who shoots a home invader dead, and then finds himself a target of both the media and the dead theif’s partner. There’s no way to tell if this is something Fincher is positioning as a directorial gig for himself, or if he’s just overseeing a project for another filmmaker to take on. Regardless, this is a natural fit for Fincher, and it sounds like a juicy story for hired screenwriter Ted Griffin (Ocean’s 11, Matchtstick Men, Tower Heist) to tackle. The author apparently has a cinematic approach to storytelling, as he’s got more than a few of his books swirling around in Hollywood as developing projects.

If this is Fincher’s next project it may be a bit before we hear anything substantial, but it could move faster if he’s producing for someone else. We’ll know soon enough. Until then, we’ve got The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo marketing about to start up- though it would be nice if Sony would just get on with it and put some full quality material out there.

Source | Vulture (via /Film)

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