Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins & More Join David Fincher’s ‘Mank’ Drama

David Fincher’s upcoming Netflix drama “Mank” is gearing up for production this fall, and thus, the bulk of the casting has been revealed. The biggest name to join Gary Oldman, who stars as the titular character— the legendary screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz (he co-wrote “Citizen Kane” with Orson Welles)—is Amanda Seyfried. Known for notable roles in movies like “Mean Girls” (2004), “Jennifer’s Body” (2009), “Chloe” (2009), “Dear John” (2010), and the “Mamma Mia!” series, Seyfried has always been dependable, seemingly made for much more, but a plum role like this one has mostly evaded her until now.

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Also joining the cast is Lily Collins (“Rules Don’t Apply“), Charles Dance (“Game of Thrones“), Tuppence Middleton (“Downton Abbey“), Arliss Howard, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jamie McShane, Joseph Cross, Sam Troughton, Toby Leonard Moore, Tom Burke, and Tom Pelphrey. “Mank” is said to center on Mankiewicz’s difficult development of the “Citizen Kane” script with Welles.

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“Citizen Kane” was a critical success at the time, but the screenplay was the only element of the film to win an Oscar. Seyfried’s role in the movie, in fact, all of the cast, is totally unknown at the moment.

“Mank” was based on a script by David Fincher’s father, Jack, who passed away in 2003. A reporter and critic, Mankiewicz, was recruited by Hollywood in the 1920s. He would go on to write on classics like “The Wizard of Oz” (1939), “Pride of the Yankees” (1942) and “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (1953) among many others [the screenwriter is sometimes overshadowed by his more well-known brother Joseph Mankiewicz who won the Oscar for Best Director and Best Screenplay twice: for “A Letter to Three Wives” (1949) and “All About Eve” (1950).]

“Mank” will be shot entirely in black and white and is expected to start production in November. The movie continues Fincher’s longstanding relationship with Netflix. He directed the critical episodes of “House Of Cards,” and executive produced the show that helped Netflix gain the critical respect it so desperately desired with original programming, and the filmmaker has also made two seasons of “Mindhunter” over at the streaming platform as well as “Love, Death & Robots.” Like Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” Netflix is said to be ponying up a pretty penny for what will be a costly drama (minus all the VFX, of course), so don’t expect that relationship to end any time soon. [THR]