Yesterday (March 1), Netflix dropped the first teaser for Mindhunter, an upcoming TV series about FBI agents in the 1970s who interview convicted serial killers to help solve ongoing cases. If that’s not intriguing enough, David Fincher, the modern master of the thriller, is producing the series and will direct multiple episodes.
Mindhunter marks Fincher’s first time back on the small screen since he helped create Netflix’s House of Cards in 2013 (he also directed the political drama’s first two episodes). The time period, plot line, and aesthetics of Mindhunter should remind Fincher fans of his brilliant 2007 film Zodiac, about a serial killer who terrorized northern California in the 1960s and 70s.
The Netflix series stars Jonathan Groff (who starred in HBO’s Looking and has played King George III in the Broadway hit Hamilton), Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv. Actress Charlize Theron serves as an executive producer alongside Fincher.
Based on the 1996 book Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit by Mark Olshaker and John E. Douglas, the series will follow two criminal profilers on the FBI’s behavioral sciences team who interview incarcerated killers in order to figure out the next moves of those they’ve yet to catch. Douglas, a former FBI special agent (who inspired Groff’s character), personally interviewed a number of the most infamous serial killers in American history, including Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and the “Son of Sam,” David Berkowitz.
Douglas also served as the basis for Jack Crawford, a key character in the Thomas Harris novels Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs; in the 1991 film version of the latter, the character was played by actor Scott Glenn.
Those well-versed in Fincher’s filmography will recognize several of his signature lighting and framing techniques in the Mindhunter trailer:
The series premieres on Netflix in October, which is lining up to be a huge month for the streaming service; the highly anticipated second season of Stranger Things is set to debut on Halloween.