David Fincher, director of thrillers such as Gone Girl, Zodiac, and Se7en, produced the show Mindhunter for Netflix in 2017. The show takes place in the 70s and follows FBI investigators who interview serial killers in prison to solve open cases. The show was inspired by John E. Douglas’s book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit. The series was renewed quickly in November 2017, but season two did not wrap production until December 2018. Season two will be released on Netflix on August 16th. The second season will have eight episodes instead of ten as season one did. Fincher returned to the show as an executive producer and directed the first and last episode of the season.
Season Two will be about the Atlanta Child Murders that took place between 1979 and 1981. The dates mean there will be a slight time jump, as Season One was set in 1977. Season Two will have many returning characters, including Jonathan Groff (Frozen) as Holden Ford (inspired by real life John Douglas), Holt McCallany (Fight Club) as Bill Tench (inspired by Robert K Ressler), and Anna Torv (Fringe) as Doctor Wendy Carr (inspired by Dr Ann Wolbert Burgess). According to Digital Spy, John Douglas was crucial to profiling the killer in the Atlanta Child case, but he was officially reprimanded for his conduct. If the show stays close to the true story, Ford is going to be in for a rough season.
The Season Two trailer also revealed that serial killer Ed Kemper, played by Cameron Britton (The Umbrella Academy), will return. Two more killers that will be on the show are Charles Manson and David Berkowitz (known as Son of Sam). Both were mentioned in Mindhunter‘s first season. Manson will be played by Damon Herriman. This will not be Herriman’s first time performing as Manson. Herriman also plays Manson in Quentin Tarantino’s most recent film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, although in Mindhunter, Manson will already be behind bars, unlike the Tarantino film.
Watch the season two trailer below.