David Fincher's Netflix Prequel Of Jack Nicholson's 1974 Mystery Classic Gets Exciting Update & Details From OG Writer

Chinatown writer Robert Towne provides an update on David Fincher’s upcoming prequel series of the celebrated 1974 film. Fincher and Towne have been collaborating to create a Netflix prequel series that explores the life of J.J. “Jake” Gittes (Jack Nicholson) before the events of Chinatown. The project, along with Fincher and Towne’s involvement, was first announced in 2019, with the latest update being the most substantial since its initial announcement.

While speaking with Variety, Towne shared that all the scripts for the Chinatown prequel series have been completed. He spoke about the creative process of working with Fincher and their efforts to meaningfully build off the foundation of the original film. Towne also teased how the series will examine the police partnership of Gittes and Lou Escobar (Perry Lopez). Read Towne’s comments below:

All I’m likely to say is yes, all the episodes have been written for Netflix. Working with a force of nature like David Fincher, tho’ occasionally humbling, is never less than enlightening. When David and I first started talking we agreed we wouldn’t try to replicate Noah Cross. But we did want to keep in mind that the crimes that history considers monstrous are those that will not remain in the past but insist on visiting the future, and I think we managed that.

Chinatown, with all its implications for an evolving Los Angeles, is central to understanding the evolving Jake Gittes, as is his friendship with and dependence on his partner Lou Escobar. It was enlightening to delve into their backstory, Escobar’s in particular. Small details that are touched on in the film are given life and breadth in a way that surprised even me.

Why Chinatown’s Prequel Series Is Promising

Towne & Fincher Are The Perfect Team For This Story

The involvement of Towne and Fincher, along with Towne’s comments, indicate that the Chinatown prequel series may do the original film justice. Having written the script for Chinatown, Towne understands Gittes’ character and how the setting is essentially its own character as well. Towne is conscientious of expanding on Chinatown‘s most successful and enduring elements, delving into largely unexplored territory like the partnership between Gittes and Escobar, while also not leaning too much on what has already been done with the villainous Noah Cross (John Huston).

As for Fincher, many of his past works have dealt with complex partnerships, from David Mills and William Somerset in Se7en to Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network. Fincher’s Se7en has parallels to the premise of the Chinatown prequel series, with a pair of police officers investigating a horrifying case in a crime-ridden city, keeping the dynamics and police officers’ partnership at the heart of the story. Se7en and Chinatown‘s memorable villains raise a high bar, but Towne teases that this bar has been reached through the crimes Gittes and Escobar will be investigating.

Towne’s comments also indicate that aspects of the prequel series, particularly where Escobar is concerned, will enhance small details from the 1974 film, making the mystery classic even more rewarding during a rewatch. With the scripts already written for Netflix and Towne confident in the material, one of the next updates will likely be related to casting. Finding the right actors to play the young Gittes, Escobar, and other characters will be essential to making the Chinatown prequel series work fifty years after the original film’s release.

Source: Variety

Chinatown

Originally released in 1974, Chinatown is an American neo-noir mystery movie starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. Its story was inspired by the California water wars, a series of conflicts between the city of Los Angeles and the people of Owen’s Valley around the beginning of the twentieth century. The movie received 11 Academy Award nominations in total, with Robert Towne winning the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Director

Roman Polanski

Release Date

June 20, 1974

Studio(s)

Paramount Pictures

Distributor(s)

Paramount Pictures

Writers

Robert Towne , Roman Polanski

Cast

Jack Nicholson , Faye Dunaway , John Huston , Perry Lopez , John Hillerman , Darrell Zwerling

Runtime

130 minutes

Budget

$6 million

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