In an interview with Vulture, director and executive producer David Fincher announced that the third season of the crime thriller series Mindhunter might not be released. The show which streamed on Netflix completed two seasons with season 2 being released in August 2019.
"Listen, for the viewership that it had, it was an expensive show. We talked about "Finish Mank and then see how you feel," but I honestly don't think we're going to be able to do it for less than I did season two. And on some level, you have to be realistic -dollars have to equal eyeballs," said Fincher.
Fincher also revealed that he was tired by the end of season 2 of Mindhunter. "… But it's a 90-hour workweek. It absorbs everything in your life. When I got done, I was pretty exhausted, and I said, "I don't know if I have it in me right now to break season three… Mindhunter was a lot for me," he added.
In January 2020, Netflix had released actors Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany and Ana Torv from their contracts and declared that the show was on 'indefinite hold' as Fincher was busy with other projects. Fincher, known for his thriller films including Gone Girl, The girl with the dragon tattoo, Se7en amongst others, is working on his 11th feature film Mank, expected to be released in select theatres in November and Netflix on December 4th. He is also producing the second season of his animation series Love, Death and Robots.
Mindhunter is made based on the book 'Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit' which follows the real-life story of 2 FBI agents who delve into criminal psychology written by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker. Season one debuted on Netflix in October 2017 and was followed by season 2 in August 2019. The show was initially expected to complete 5 seasons. Created by Joe Penhall, it is executive produced by Penhall, David Fincher, and Charlize Theron among others. Fincher also directed seven of the nineteen episodes of the show.
Netflix spokesperson rendered a small ounce of hope to fans who expressed their grief on social media saying, "Maybe in five years."
Several shows have been cancelled on Netflix this year including The Society, I am not okay with this, Glow, Mortel, etc. The reasons stated include uncertainty of production dates, an increase in the budget due to COVID-19, low viewership, etc.