After months competing rumours, a frontrunner has reportedly emerged for director David Fincher’s next film: crime western, Bitterroot.
Whilst the past week may have seen a furious splurge of rumours regarding the nature of Christopher Nolan’s secretive next project, David Fincher is no slouch at this game either. The American filmmaker has kept us guessing for months already as to what direction Fincher’s follow-up to last year’s The Killer will take. A quick search within the Film Stories website shows four different rumoured projects since April, including a Squid Game remake, a Western and two Hitchcock remakes, Rope and Strangers On A Train.
However, it looks like an end to the ongoing speculation may finally be in sight. A new posting at Production List states that Bitterroot, Fincher’s western project, is set to shoot in January of next year. World Of Reel also seems to confirm this, although the latter outlet claims that the film will actually begin production later in the spring because snow needs to melt wherever the project is being shot.
Fincher has partnered with Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves writer Michael Gilio to adapt his 2008 Black List script, previously described as a ‘crime western’ which follows an ageing ranch owner who’s on the hunt for the criminals who stole his life’s savings. Meanwhile, his son – who happens to be the sheriff – is in pursuit. It sort of sounds a little bit like a superannuated Hell Or High Water, which is by no means a bad thing.
The new listing offers a few more details too, giving us a synopsis for the project:
Francis Lee, Sr., a 78-year-old WWII veteran and Montana rancher, is burdened by heart disease, diabetes, and medical bills. Estranged from his son and granddaughter, and grieving his wife’s death, his only comfort comes from outings with his caretaker, Maya. A brief moment of hope arises when he wins a million-dollar sweepstakes, but it quickly turns to despair after becoming a victim of financial fraud, pushing him to his limits.
A decade ago, there were plans for Gilio to direct it himself, but that never happened. Last we heard, two offers had gone out to the film’s leads but as of yet, there’s no update in that regard. Given that this is the only original story that was believed to have been on Fincher’s development slate, we’re glad that this is the one that seems to have come to fruition. If we want to see Squid Game or one of those Hitchcock movies, we can already enjoy them. This seems like the best possible outcome, even if as a Netflix production we won’t be enjoying it on a cinema screen. We’ll bring you more on Bitterroot as we hear it.
