All of us who remain convinced that Mindhunter is one of the best things that Netflix has ever done just got a bombshell dropped in our laps.
Years after the last chilling case file was closed, fans of the Netflix cult hit who’ve never stopped lamenting its cancellation all this time might have a reason for hope again. Even though the drama, beloved for its psychological depth and atmospheric dread, has long been presumed an occupant of the overstuffed graveyard of canceled Netflix shows, a new interview with series star Holt McCallany suggests that the story of FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench actually has a chance of coming back after all.
While promoting his latest project, a separate Netflix drama called The Waterfront, McCallany sat down with CBR and dropped what can only be described as a sliver of hope. “So look, you know, I had a meeting with David Fincher in his office a few months ago,” he said, “and he said to me that there is a chance that it may come back as three two-hour movies, but I think it’s just a chance. I know there are writers that are working, but you know, David has to be happy with scripts.”
Needless to say, when it comes to a possible revival, that’s the most substantial update that fans of Mindhunter have heard in years.
The backstory: Mindhunter’s second and final season dropped in 2019. The show, which dramatized the early days of the FBI’s criminal profiling efforts, felt at the time like it still a lot of story left to tell. With historical killers still out there and an audience hungry for more, the decision not to move forward with Season 3 has always felt like some sort of cruel trick that Netflix pulled on fans.
What McCallany describes as potentially in the works, three two-hour films, wouldn’t be all that huge of a leap from the format fans already love. Depending on how you look at it, that’s comparable to a six-episode season, pretty close to the eight episodes or so standard for streaming thrillers in recent years.
“The good news,” McCallany added, “is that we’re at Netflix with The Waterfront, and those movies would also be for Netflix. So I think that in terms of dates and logistics, it could all be worked out.” The real hinge, however, is Fincher’s bandwidth and willingness to revisit the world he helped create. “It has to do, you know, with David really having the time and the inclination and being happy, you know, with the material. And, you know, that’s a big question mark.”
As far as the cast and director go, McCallany’s co-star Jonathan Groff has a packed schedule, thanks in part to his Broadway work. And Anna Torv, always a standout, has gained a whole new audience thanks to The Last of Us, while Fincher has plenty on his plate at the moment — including directing the sequel to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. But if the scripts are right and the timelines align, who knows? It’s not hard to imagine Netflix pulling strings to reunite the original cast.
Long story short: There are still more questions than answers, but Mindhunter’s possible return is no longer a pipe dream. It’s a real conversation happening behind closed doors at Netflix, with scripts being written and a cast still willing to return. What else can we say for the moment, except that there are no doubt lots of fans at the moment who have their fingers crossed.
