It’s been a long time coming, but fans of David Fincher, or Orson Welles‘ classic “Citizen Kane” finally have their first official look at the upcoming drama “Mank.” Though we still don’t have a specific release date other than Fall 2020, we at least get a look at how Fincher’s latest film will look.
READ MORE: 2020 Fall Film Preview: 40 Most Anticipated Films To Watch
As seen in the new first-look images from the upcoming Netflix film, “Mank” follows the production troubles that occurred during the making of “Citizen Kane” — more specifically, those between Hollywood screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles himself. The film is co-written by Fincher’s own father, Jack Fincher, who has allegedly been tinkering with this idea since the ’70s. Given that this is David Fincher, we probably shouldn’t expect a traditional biopic, and if “Mank” ends up even half as good as “The Social Network,” we are bound to get something truly special. Also, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross returning to score this film only helps increase the anticipation.
A while back we reported that Tom Burke, who captivated audiences in last year’s “The Souvenir,” will portray the legendary Welles in “Mank,” while the previously-announced Gary Oldman will take over the role of Mankiewicz. Amanda Seyfried will portray Marion Davies, a singer/actress that had her reputation suffer in the aftermath of the film’s tumultuous release, while Tom Pelphrey takes over Mank’s famous Oscar-winning filmmaker brother Joseph.
Because of the high-profile nature of the making of “Citizen Kane,” it is not surprising that we’ll see some big names pop up in the film, like Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer co-founder Louis B. Mayer being a character in the film, played by Arliss Howard.
Of course, no story about “Citizen Kane” would be completed without including the man who allegedly inspired the titular character of Charles Foster Kane — William Randolph Hearst, who will be played by the always menacing Charles Dance.
Here’s the official cast, official synopsis and photos below:
CAST:
GARY OLDMAN as HERMAN J. MANKIEWICZ
AMANDA SEYFRIED as MARION DAVIES
LILY COLLINS as RITA ALEXANDER
ARLISS HOWARD as LOUIS B. MAYER
TOM PELPHREY as JOE MANKIEWICZ
SAM TROUGHTON as JOHN HOUSEMAN
FERDINAND KINGSLEY as IRVING THALBERG
TUPPENCE MIDDLETON as SARA MANKIEWICZ
TOM BURKE as ORSON WELLES
JOSEPH CROSS as CHARLES LEDERER
JAMIE McSHANE as SHELLY METCALF
TOBY LEONARD MOORE as DAVID O. SELZNICK
MONIKA GOSSMANN as FRAULEIN FREDA
and CHARLES DANCE as WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST
SYNOPSIS:
1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane for Orson Welles.
