Director David Fincher, making a rare public appearance at Comic-Con, sat and talked at length about 1999′s “Fight Club” with author Chuck Palahniuk.
They discussed everything from the story’s genesis to the project’s surprising marketing challenges, giving fans more insight on the cult film as it nears its 15th anniversary in October.
Though the movie, starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, is highly regarded today, it struggled mightily out of the gate.
“‘Fight Club’ sold less than 5,000 copies,” Palahniuk said of the 1996 book.
But Fincher, coming off the acclaimed and commercial hit “Seven” at the time, said he was immediately addicted to the novel. “I read it and couldn’t stop laughing,” he said. “Who the fuck doesn’t want to see credit card companies blow up?”
The feature adaptation of “Fight Club,” co-starring Helena Bonham Carter and Meat Loaf (or “Bitch Tits” as he was called in the film), was also a major disappointment at the box office in 1999 and received mixed reviews from critics.
Fincher, then 37 years old, said the risky project ultimately died at the box office because of false advertising, mostly from its distributor 20th Century Fox.
“Fox marketed ‘Fight Club’ mostly on the World Wrestling Federation. That’s when I knew we were doomed,” he said. He joked that the film was too “homoerotic” for WWF.
But it eventually paid off, as the director pointed out, saying, “‘Fight Club’ sold 13 million DVDs. It paid for itself.”
Bringing “Fight Club” to life onscreen, though, was not without challenges, even with star Brad Pitt on board to play Tyler Durden.
“Men don’t want to see Brad Pitt shirtless, and women don’t want to see him fighting,” Fincher said.
Fincher also noted that one person behind the scenes wanted to remove one of the film’s most iconic elements: the voiceover by Edward Norton.
“They wanted to make ‘Fight Club’ without a voiceover,” Fincher revealed. “So I fired that producer.”
It all worked out for the film, though, but Fincher says many people don’t “get” the message.
“‘Fight Club’ is about moving through a modern disconnected society,” Fincher said. “It’s a satire. Many don’t get that.”
Iconic Music: “Where Is My Mind” by The Pixies
David Fincher chose The Pixies’ alt-rock classic to close a film about a man suffering an identity disorder. “You met me at a very strange time in my life,” Edward Norton’s character, his face half-blown off, mutters to Marla (Helena Bonham-Carter), as drums burst and the skyline collapses in front of them.
Black Francis’ lyrics evoke the film’s themes of disorientation as Fincher’s visuals illustrate the ecstasy and horror of inevitable destruction and then the promise of new beginnings.
