Christmas 2019 came a little early this year. July, in fact. You see, that’s when it was announced that David Fincher was prepping to direct the upcoming film “Mank.” Then, just recently, it was announced that Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, and others joined the cast, making our excitement for the film go up that much higher. But now that we know the roles each actor is playing, we can finally begin to imagine just how Fincher’s upcoming film is going to look.
According to a source close to the film, we now know which roles Seyfried, Collins, as well as the rest of the cast, will play in the film about the writer of what many consider to be the greatest film of all time “Citizen Kane.” “Mank” is named after the lead character, Herman Mankiewicz (played by Gary Oldman), the man who co-wrote “Citizen Kane” alongside Orson Welles. And considering we know the film is going to be about the creation of that script, and the drama surrounding that process, there should be some well-known characters showing up in Mank’s world.
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The biggest name in the character list has to be Welles himself, and we now know that Tom Burke, who wowed audiences in this year’s “The Souvenir,” will portray the legendary filmmaker in Fincher’s film. Seyfried, an underrated actress that will likely step up in a big way for “Mank,” will portray Marion Davies (makes sense considering the two women look very similar), a singer/actress had her reputation damaged quite a bit in the aftermath of the film’s release, as reports said that she was the basis for one of the characters.
Collins is set to play Mank’s secretary/typist in the film, while Tuppence Middelton will portray the writer’s wife, Sara. Tom Pelphrey, who is probably best known for his work in the series “Banshee” and “Iron Fist,” will play Mank’s brother and famous Oscar-winning writer/director Joseph, in the drama.
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Adding to cinephiles’ excitement about “Mank” is the fact that the film is expected to be shot in black and white, adding a classic Hollywood look to the film. And with Fincher’s penchant for perfectionism, we’re expecting that the film will look gorgeous if nothing else. Production is reportedly set to begin next month, meaning we could have some Fincher goodness by this time next year, just in time for 2020 awards season.