HBOWatch was all over the news when we learned David Fincher was bringing content to HBO. At one time he had three projects going and now he has ZERO. It has been officially announced that UTOPIA and VIDEO SYNCHRONICITY are not going forward and any news of SHAKEDOWN has been quiet for a while so we suspect that it is dead as well.
It seems maybe he was juggling too many projects at once. His semi-autobiographical drama VIDEO SYNCHRONICITY (which started out withthe title LIVING ON VIDEO) or as some sites call it VIDEOSYNCHRAZY had halted production earlier this summer due to major rewrites. Maybe the script wasn’t clear and concise because he was also manning UTOPIA as well? The thriller was operating with a big cast with the likes of Rooney Mara, Colm Feore, Eric McCormack, Dallas Roberts, Jason Ritter, Brandon Scott, and Agyness Deyn all onboard.
While the music video biz set series stalled the budget of UTOPIA was spinning out of control. In fact it is cited that the conspiracy thriller’s every increasing budget is what killed the production. It is said HBO killed the production as it reached the $100 million price tag. Hey, HBO gives great creative control, but there are financial limits. The current incarnation of each show is definitely terminated as the cast obligations have been lifted for both series meaning the actors are free to pursue other work. It is a shame that they all have fallen apart and, at this time, are not in any condition to move forward.
That leaves Fincher without a project for the network. However, his semi-autobiographical series could surface again at some point and SHAKEDOWN, based on a James Ellroy tome could reawaken. As for UTOPIA, HBO owns the rights so another production team could still bring it to fruition. Is David Fincher done at HBO? HBO could use his talent there, so hopefully something else can come along. How about UTOPIA? Is it strong enough a work to still be saved and produced by someone else? Only time will tell.
(Sources: SlashFilm & Deadline)
5 comments
UTOPIA is not a dead concept at HBO just Fincher’s take on it. If they can find someone else to take it on it can still happen.
Aaaargh. Look, HBO, for just $10k, I’ll wrap this up and bring it to broadcast. Call me.
Luckily I can’t remember what David Fincher has ever done so there’s no chance of any influence but AMERICA NEEDS UTOPIA!
He has done House of Cards, Gone Girl, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (U.S.), The Social Network, Zodiac, and Fight Club off the top of my head.
This is really bad news. :(
Darn, I was super stoked for Utopia