David Fincher Says Mindhunter Season 3 Will Never Happen (& The Cost Is To Blame)

Nearly two years elapsed between the releases of Seasons 1 and 2 of the David Fincher-produced serial killer drama "Mindhunter" on Netflix. While the show garnered a positive reception among both subscribers to the streaming service and critics at large, its fate has become increasingly uncertain the more time passes in the wake of Season 2's August 16, 2019 release date.

Whether there will be a "Mindhunter" Season 3 or not remained in question for years following its second season. At one point, Fincher gave fans a shred of hope for "Mindhunter" Season 3 when he described it as something he might be interested in realizing in the future. That said, this comment came in the wake of news that "Mindhunter" had become too costly to produce and was on a sort of hiatus, not officially canceled but unlikely to continue any time soon. Fincher also shared that his original plans for "Mindhunter" Season 3 would link its inquiry into serial killer psychology to popular culture and its production in Hollywood.

While comments like these suggest that the skeleton of a third season is, at the very least, in place, the "Fight Club" director has since claimed in an interview that "Mindhunter" Season 3 will, in fact, never happen.

On February 18, French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche published an interview with David Fincher focused largely on his imminent reception of an Honorary César, which is a prestigious prize that the country's Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma awards to notable actors and filmmakers. At one point during their discussion, the French outlet asked Fincher outright whether or not there will be another season of "Mindhunter."

While Fincher's response is written in French, in a heavily-liked and retweeted post, the @DiscussingFilm Twitter account translated him saying, "It's a very expensive show and, in the eyes of Netflix, we didn't attract enough of an audience to justify such an investment." He then went on to praise the streaming service for taking a chance on "Mindhunter" in the first place, in addition to producing his 2020 historical feature "Mank" and his upcoming comic book adaptation "The Killer."

Fincher, then, seems to understand and hold no ill will toward Netflix for its decision to discontinue "Mindhunter," given that he maintains a working relationship with the streaming service to this day. Nevertheless, this news may well put an end to any previously remaining sliver of hope for "Mindhunter" Season 3 ever becoming a reality.