Now that HBO has pumped the brakes on David Fincher's comedy series Videosyncrazy, it seems the director is forging a head on a different HBO project, the remake of Dennis Kelly's U.K. mystery thriller series, Utopia. The Wrap's Jeff Sneider broke the news on twitter that Rooney Mara is eyeing an unspecified starring role that would reunite her with Fincher for the first time since 2011's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Fincher, who intends to direct every episode of Utopia's first season, is also re-teaming with Gone Girl author/screenwriter Gillian Flynn to adapt the Channel 4 series. The story picks up when the die-hard fans of an underground graphic novel learn that the author has secretly written a sequel, launching them into their own pop-culture thriller. They find that “the new manuscript is much more than just a book, and those on the hunt for it suddenly find themselves in a game of shifting loyalties, conspiracy and shocking twists as the true meaning of the book is slowly revealed.”

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Image via Open Road Films

While there are no details at this time regarding Mara's potential role, many have speculated that she would be an ideal fit for the role of Jessica Hyde, a woman who's been on the run from "the network" as long as she can remember after her father created the original Utopia manuscripts. The official Channel 4 site describes Jessica as "Socially awkward with a directness that is disarming, she is a survivor and a fighter though she doesn't feel or look like a super hero, she's not what you would expect." That sounds like an ace role and perfect fit for Mara, who took home the Best Actress prize for her work in Carol at this year's Cannes Film Festival.


It's been nearly a year since we last heard any word on Utopia, but the timing makes sense given the recent production troubles with Videosyncrazy. While I'm taking this news with a few grains of salt until there's some confirmation, a Fincher-Flynn-Mara triumvirate is an extremely exciting prospect and I'm thrilled Utopia is seemingly on the track to production.

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Image via Sony Pictures