"Everything he does is ominous"— Internet reacts to David Fincher saying he pitched a creepy adaption of Harry Potter

Director David Fincher revealed that he was considered for the Harry Potter franchise once, but the project didn't happen for him after he pitched his take on the material. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and World War Z director told Variety in an article published on Thursday, January 2, 2025, that he was asked how he would do Harry Potter, saying:

"I was asked to come in and talk to them about how I would do 'Harry Potter.' I remember saying, 'I just don't want to do the clean Hollywood version of it. I want to do something that looks a lot more like 'Withnail and I,' and I want it to be kind of creepy'."

However, he admitted that Warner Bros. had something more traditional in mind for its movie adaptation of J.K. Rowling's series. While David Fincher's "creepy" adaptation of Harry Potter didn't pan out, his revelation caused a stir in the online world and some franchise fans. One Reddit user, in particular, wasn't shocked that Fincher would choose to add a creepy flavor to the series.

"Of course he would do it creepy! He's David Fincher! Everything he does is ominous and brooding," a Reddit user commented.

Fan comment on David Fincher (Image via @Green_Return_8271/ Reddit)

However, some fans were not keen on the idea that Harry Potter could have been creepy, saying it wasn't the theme the books were trying to portray.

"Thank god he didn't do it. It isn't supposed to be creepy. It's supposed to be whimsical and filled with wonder. Chris Columbus did a fantastic job of creating that charm in the first two movies," an X user commented.

"They were right. The books aren't that creepy. Would have not had as many kids invested making a David Fincher version. Much as I like his films they are for adults," another X user said.

However, other netizens expressed that while the current films are good, it would have been "interesting" to see David Fincher's version of Harry Potter.

"The current films are pretty great but it could've been interesting to see something more along the lines of Wednesday," a user on X said.

"WOW, a David Fincher version of Harry Potter would have been a completely different vibe—dark and unsettling for sure! Imagine Hogwarts through a "creepy thriller" lens. It's interesting to think how that could have changed the tone of the series," another X user commented.

"Bro imagine this guy directing Half-Blood Prince. I think he would [have] nailed the darker tone from the book," an X user added.

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David Fincher's upcoming movie projects

While getting the "creepy" version of Harry Potter directed by David Fincher may be far-fetched, the Mindhunter filmmaker has several upcoming features. Per Variety's article, Fincher is supposedly working on the American adaptation of the Korean series Squid Game, which became extremely popular. He's reportedly also working on the miniseries prequel to Chinatown, which he co-wrote with the movie's late screenwriter, Robert Towne.

Netflix's film chief, Scott Stuber, also confirmed, via Collider in November 2023, that they will continue collaborating with Fincher. A What's on Netflix article, published on September 3, 2024, mentioned that The Social Network director's next film for Netflix could be Bitterroot, which would be a western crime thriller about an aging rancher, hunting down thieves who stole his life savings.

Two of his projects are currently in pre-production, per his IMDb page, including the Great Depression biopic Lange and the TV film Chinatown.