David Fincher Ends Netflix Deal After Six Years and Three Films

David Fincher will not renew his exclusive deal with Netflix when it expires next year, ending a partnership that produced three films: "Mank," "The Killer" and the upcoming "The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth."

Bloomberg broke the news. Fincher is not signing a new overall deal with another studio, according to the report, which means he could still work with Netflix on future projects. Netflix did not respond to a request for comment.

The director of "Fight Club," "The Social Network" and "Gone Girl" has one of the longest creative histories with the streamer. He directed the seminal Netflix series "House of Cards" and "Mindhunter" before forging the exclusive film partnership in 2020.

Fincher joins a growing list of talent leaving Netflix. "Marriage Story" director Noah Baumbach, whose last four films were made at the streamer, has just signed a deal with Warner Bros. "Stranger Things" producer Shawn Levy set an overall television deal at Disney's 20th Century after nearly a decade at Netflix. Levy's "Stranger Things" collaborators Ross and Matt Duffer have moved their own deal to Paramount.

"The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth," a spinoff of Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" starring Brad Pitt, premieres later this year. Its rollout marks a notable break in Netflix strategy: the film opens in Imax theaters on Nov. 25, a full month before it lands on the streamer on Dec. 23.

Going forward, Netflix plans to experiment with theatrical releases — and even to report box office figures on select titles — as a way to work with filmmakers who want their films to play on the big screen.

The "Cliff Booth" project has already caused friction with Sony, the studio behind "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," which was a critical and commercial hit. Sony motion picture group chair Tom Rothman has expressed disappointment that Netflix is releasing the sequel.

"We were going to make the movie when Quentin was directing it, but he decided that he didn't want to do it and changed course," Rothman told Variety. "The only other person that he was comfortable directing his script was David Fincher, and David Fincher was exclusive to Netflix, so we were not going to stand in anybody's way."

Fincher's departure without a rival studio deal leaves him among the most sought-after free agents in Hollywood. His next move — and whether "Cliff Booth" justifies Netflix's new theatrical gamble when it opens in November — will shape how both the director and the streamer approach the big screen.