Mindhunter has currently reached a standstill as far as production goes, which has cast doubt on the show’s future. That doubt has only been fed as last month, according to Deadline, Netflix allowed the options of the cast, which included stars Jonathan Groff and Holy McCallany, lapse, a development that might not bode well for Mindhunter‘s survival on the streaming giant. The network recently tried to ease worries about Mindhunter‘s questionable status on the network by telling Deadline, “David is focused on directing his first Netflix film Mank and on producing the second season of Love, Death and Robots,” a spokesperson for Netflix said in regards to the situation. “He may revisit Mindhunter again in the future, but in the meantime felt it wasn’t fair to the actors to hold them from seeking other work while while he was exploring new work of his own.”
Mank is a close, intimate project for Fincher, and his first major film since 2014’s Gone Girl which focuses on Herman J. Mankiewicz, a screenwriter who butted heads with legendary director Orson Welles for screenplay credit and recognition for Citizen Kane. Fincher also has Love, Death and Robots on his plate, a dark anthology and collection of animated short films that Fincher executive produces on Netflix. The series is in the midst of season 2 production, and with all of these projects demanding Fincher’s attention, it may be hampering his focus on Mindhunter, which just recently dropped its second season on August 16th, 2019.
Mindhunter season 2 focused on the Atlanta Child Murders, while maintaining its formula of two FBI agents interviewing and interacting with several serial killers to build up a profile on them. Mindhunter also continued its long series arc of following the BTK killer as he creeps along the dark corners of the show to indulge in his fantasies.
Mindhunter is based on the true crime novel, Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit written by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker. The show is created by Joe Penhall.