David Fincher on 'The Social Network': "I Wanted to Make a 21st Century John Hughes Film"

With The Social Network, director David Fincher has produced what is arguably the most commercially accessible film of his career, and that's definitely not a bad thing. It's a movie about the founding of an online social network, yes, but it's also one about acceptance and wanting to achieve a new version of the "American Dream" that exists in a virtual world where ideas, dreams and friendships can be crushed with the simple click of a mouse.

From our recent review: "They'll call it a film that defines a generation, and it's hard to tell whether or not that's a good thing. With The Social Network, director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin turn some fairly dry, nerdy content about fairly dry, nerdy characters into one of the must-see films of the year, and they don't waste any time getting right to it. The film opens with what will go down as one of the great break-up scenes of all time, and from there Fincher rides Sorkin's hilariously addictive script like a wild bull at a rodeo. The Social Network will define a generation for a generation that couldn't care less about its generation, but it's as entertaining as anything you'll watch all year."

Following a recent screening of The Social Network, Cinematical was lucky enough to be able to send David Fincher a few questions via email. His answers were short and to the point, but Fincher has always been known as a somewhat elusive filmmaker who spends way more time engrossed in the art of filmmaking than he ever does actually discussing his work. Check out our Q&A after the jump ...


Cinematical: Was there one thing that attracted you to this story right off the bat? If so, what was it?

David Fincher: I wanted to make a 21st Century John Hughes film.

Cinematical: After spending so much time within this real-life story, how close do you feel the film is to what actually happened?

David Fincher: No idea, so much has to be crushed to get anywhere near two hours ...

Cinematical: The marketing for this film has been a huge story so far with people loving each trailer that's been released. How much were you involved in choosing the music (ie: 'Creep' cover) and piecing these things together?

David Fincher: I wanted "Creep" from the beginning, but I don't think I ever told Mark Woolen, who created the campaign. He just came up with that version on his own.



Cinematical: Is Mark Zuckerberg a hero or a villain?

David Fincher: Antihero

Cinematical: A lot of people will talk about the fantastic editing in this film. Was there a method to the madness? It felt fast, as if you wanted to mimic the feeling of information traveling across the internet. Was that your intention?

David Fincher: I had a 166 page script and a contract for final cut under 2 hours and 19 minutes.

Cinematical: If you had the chance to consult with Zuckerberg on the film, what would've been the first question you asked him? What most fascinated you about him?

David Fincher: I truly identified with his anger, and his wanting to protect what was his, from the adults, from the venture capitalists, from the compromisers ...

Cinematical: Do you have a Facebook account?

David Fincher: Shirley you jest ...

The Social Network arrives in theaters on October 1st.