Part of why House Of Cards was such a success in its first season was the excellent direction of David Fincher. While Fincher didn’t direct every episode, he did direct the first two, which set the tone for the rest of the series. The unfortunate news we have today is that Fincher will not be back to direct any episodes in season 2 of the Netflix original.
While he won’t be working as a director, Fincher’s presence should still be felt in the season, as he’s serving as executive producer (along with Beau Willimon). It may be his other commitments that are keeping him from directing, as he’s preparing to shoot Gone Girl this fall.
My first reaction to this is that not having Fincher on as a director is a bad thing for the show, but thinking about it a bit further, it probably won’t have that great of an effect. Last season the episodes all had the same tone, regardless of who the director was. In fact, they were so consistent that I found it almost impossible to tell who was directing which episode without looking at the credits. I don’t see any reason why that consistency in tone wouldn’t continue into the second season.
Fincher not directing does open the door to at least one more director to work on the show: Robin Wright. She has taken on an episode for the season, and I’m excited that more control is going into the hands of the cast. It’ll be her first directorial credit, too. While early reports mentioned Kevin Spacey would also be directing, Netflix has since said he has not directed an episode for the upcoming season.
What do you think of Fincher not returning as a director for House Of Cards season 2? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
