Netflix Ends David Fincher Production Deal After Six Years

Netflix has announced that its production deal with director David Fincher is coming to an end after six years, according to theverge.com. The partnership, first announced in 2020, was originally scheduled to last four years.

The split is the latest in a string of high-profile filmmaker departures from Netflix. In August 2025, Matt and Ross Duffer announced they were leaving the streamer for a four-year production deal with Paramount. Shawn Levy, who worked with Netflix for almost a decade on projects including Stranger Things, The Adam Project, and Shadow and Bone, signed a new overall production deal with Disney last month.

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said the departures of Levy and the Duffer Brothers were driven by the filmmakers' desire to work on feature-length projects. Netflix has also parted ways with Noah Baumbach, whose Netflix projects include White Noise and Jay Kelly.

A mixed theatrical record

Fincher's Netflix films have drawn awards attention but limited box office returns. Mank was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won two, though during its three-week theatrical run it made around $100,000 against a $25 million budget. His 2023 film The Killer debuted at No. 1 on Netflix's chart but grossed $452,000 against a $175 million budget.

Some Netflix partnerships remain in place. The streamer's production deal with Guillermo del Toro is ongoing, and Greta Gerwig's first Narnia film will spend seven weeks in theaters before streaming. Rian Johnson is taking a break after fulfilling the obligations of his $450 million deal.

Fincher's The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth is set to hit Netflix on December 23rd. Levy's Star Wars: Starfighter is slated to premiere next May, and the Duffers' untitled Paramount film will debut sometime in 2028.