Mindhunter definitely dead – David Fincher says he doesn’t blame Netflix

Mindhunter definitely isn’t returning to Netflix for Season 3, according to new quotes from the show’s producer and frequent director, David Fincher.

Season 1 of dark drama Mindhunter debuted on Netflix in 2017 to much critical acclaim and a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while it was followed by a second season in 2019, which achieved an RT score of 99%.

The show revolved around the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit investigating serial killers, and starred Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv.

But while the stage was set for a third season, that hasn’t yet materialised, and based on a new interview with Fincher, it sounds like it never will.

David Fincher on why Mindhunter won’t return

David Fincher – who has form in the serial killer genre having directed Se7en and Zodiac – was executive producer on Mindhunter, and frequently helmed episodes. But sadly, he believes the show is now done.

While speaking to French outlet JDD (and as reported by Joe), Fincher said: “I’m very proud of the first two seasons. But it is a particularly expensive show and, in the eyes of Netflix, we did not attract a large enough audience to justify such an investment.

“I don’t blame them. They took risks to launch the series, gave me the means to do as I dreamed with [previous Netflix movie] Mank and they allowed me to venture on new paths with [forthcoming Netflix film] The Killer.”

Season 3 would have played out in Hollywood

Andrew Dominik – whose credits include Chopper and Blonde – also directed episodes of Mindhunter, and he recently revealed what the writers were planning for that third season.

“What they were going to do with Season 3 was they were going to go [to] Hollywood,” Dominik told Collider. “So one of them was going to be hooking up with Jonathan Demme and the other one was going to be hooking up with Michael Mann. And it was all going to be about profiling making it into the sort of zeitgeist, the public consciousness. It would’ve been… that was the season everyone was really waiting for to do, with when they sort of get out of the basement and start.”

Which sounds very cool. But also like it will now never happen. Though while Mindhunter Season 3 isn’t heading to Netflix, The Killer – directed by David Fincher, and starring Michael Fassbender – very much is. Here’s everything we know about the forthcoming action-thriller.