David Fincher is to revisit music videos, the milieu that made his name, in an upcoming comedy series for HBO.
According to Deadline, the show is tentatively named Living On Video, and will be set in a music video production company as the format gains traction in the 1980s. The lead character is the decidedly Fincher-esque figure of Bobby, who drops out of college to try and make it as a sci-fi film director, taking a job as a PA at the company.
Before ambitiously taking on Alien 3 as his directorial debut, Fincher traded in glossy yet moody music videos for the likes of Jermaine Stewart, Paula Abdul and Madonna – his video for the latter’s Vogue is one of her most celebrated, full of his signature black-and-white palette and choppy cuts.
He is reported to be directing the series, which has not been officially greenlit yet, though the script from screenwriter Rich Wilkes is complete.
This is the latest project for Fincher at HBO, following his adaptation of Channel 4 sci-fi hit Utopia; he made another successful inroad into TV with Netflix’s House of Cards.
It has also been announced that a collaboration with LA Confidential author James Ellroy, entitled Shakedown, will be developed at the network with Fincher exec-producing. It is inspired by cop-turned-private-dick Fred Otash, who raked through vice in 1950s Hollywood.
