The 'Darkest Hour' star has signed on to star as Herman Mankiewicz in 'Mank', a movie project that will chronicles the man's rise to fame from a news reporter to Hollywood screenwriter.
- Jul 11, 2019
AceShowbiz - Gary Oldman is teaming up with filmmaker David Fincher to star in a new biopic about the screenwriter behind movie classic "Citizen Kane".
The "Darkest Hour" Oscar winner will portray Herman Mankiewicz in "Mank", which will chronicle his rise to fame, first as a news reporter and critic in New York City, before moving to Hollywood to begin a career in the film industry.
Among Mankiewicz's credits include "The Wizard of Oz", "Pride of the Yankees", and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", but it was 1941's "Citizen Kane" which cemented his legacy.
However, his relationship with director and co-writer Orson Welles became strained after Mankiewicz accused the filmmaker of trying to take sole credit for the script, which won them the Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay).
The biopic has been a passion project for Fincher for the past two decades, after initially trying to get the film into production following the release of 1997's "The Game".
It has also been of particular interest for the director as his father, Jack Fincher, wrote the original script for the movie.
"Mank" will be shot in black-and-white to channel the classic Hollywood vibe and will premiere on streaming service Netflix.
