According to Patrick Goldstein at the L.A. Times, David Fincher is in further negotiations to get the Aaron Sorkin Facebook drama scripted, “The Social Network” up and running.
Fincher is coming off “The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button” his most successful (and ironically, in our opinion, his worst) film to date which also earned him his first Oscar nod. That said, because of the rocky economic climate, the L.A. Times says Sony is looking for Fincher to not only reduce his usual $8 to $10 million fee, but also let go of his first dollar gross payment arrangement. We don’t think we can remember the last time a newly anointed Oscar nominee was asked to earn less on their follow-up picture, but these are strange days.
Other hints that this picture is coming together, and soon, other than the initial report that said Fincher was in “advanced talks“? One of the key producers is Michael De Luca, who recently extended his first-look deal with Sony through 2011. Some have speculated that the move is a sign that “The Social Network” is going to get a green light soon and that sounds like reasonable and intelligent thinking.
When it was first rumored that a drama was in the works about the development of Facebook, there was some sniggering among film fans who wondered what kind of story there could possibly be in the material. But if anyone can turn a dubious concept into a compelling if not financially successful film, it’s Fincher. From a serial killer who is never caught (“Zodiac”); an underground fight club that rebels against consumerism (uh, “Fight Club”) to a man who ages backward, Fincher has taken these improbable premises to intriguing places. Moreover, Fincher’s last film for Sony (where “The Social Network” now resides) was “Panic Room” which earned a solid $95 million at the box office on a budget of $48 million (not to mention grossed $196 million worldwide).
So what is going on here exactly? As you might remember, Sony very recently put the brakes on Steven Soderbergh’s “Moneyball” (while, “coincidentally,” hiring Aaron Sorkin to do a rewrite) publicly citing script concerns, but speculation ran rampant that the studio was worried that the project had limited box office potential. So this time around, is Sony making sure they are budgeting accurately and not paying out until every cent that was spent is accounted for? In our opinion, a film about the development of a social networking site has about as much mass appeal as a film about baseball statistics. The big irony, however, is that DeLuca is also one of the principal producers on “Moneyball.”
In any event, if Fincher does indeed take a pay cut at a time when his name is most valuable he must either really believe in the project or he has the worst agent ever.
Speaking of agents (and Aaron Sorkin), did anyone else catch “Entourage” on Sunday? It was like one big, gigantic Aaron Sorkin handjob. Not only did the episode center around Andrew Klein signing him, but the characters went out of their way to celebrate the former freebasing writer’s sobriety, and having Vince discover Facebook (seriously) at the end of the episode.