It was shocking, which became one of the director’s trademarks. He used his gift for arresting visuals mixed with quick narratives to create music videos, most notably for Madonna (“Vogue”) and the Rolling Stones (“Love Is Strong,” which won a Grammy). When he was 27, Fincher was asked to direct Alien 3. It proved to be a disaster. At the time, the $60 million budget was the biggest ever given to a first-time director. There was no script, only a murky storyline about an alien baby, and it was a mess. When considering The Social Network, Fincher drew on the Alien 3 experience: “I know what it’s like to be in a room full of people who just think it’s so cute that you’re young and have an idea about how things should be done. But they’re not about to give you control. I understand that anger.”
Alien 3 taught Fincher to micromanage, to fight for his point of view, his work. Interestingly, he did not become disenchanted, as many directors have, with the major studios. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he has never pursued the independent route. Fincher’s done something almost subversive: He has made challenging, idiosyncratic movies within the increasingly homogenized and limited studios. While most studios are pushing superheroes and animation, Fincher is directing The Social Network. “I do have an idea for an R-rated 3-D animated film,” Fincher said. “A heavy-metal comic book brought to life, like Avatar. In Avatar there are topless blue women. That’s heavy metal.”
After the success of Se7en, which was Brad Pitt’s first starring role and made $327 million, Fincher never again doubted himself. “Actually, I didn’t really doubt myself after Alien 3,” he said as he closed his computer. “I have 380,000 things on my mind. It’s an air traffic control tower in there. I can’t really imagine anything else gripping me the way directing does.” He smiled. “This is all I can do.”
