David Fincher responds to longstanding critics of his 2007 hit 'Zodiac'

Acclaimed director David Fincher has responded to longtime critics of his film Zodiac once and for all.

While Fincher’s 2007 film was a hit there were some who questioned the storyline.

Speaking at the Tribeca Film Festival, the acclaimed director behind film and TV hits like Mind Hunter series, Seven and The Social Network recalled the backlash he faced when Zodiac first came out.

“There was so much flak after Zodiac came out about people saying, ‘Why didn’t you go down this rabbit hole? Why did you only go down the Graysmith rabbit hole?'”

“That’s the book that we bought,” he said, answering himself. “We didn’t buy everyone’s book about the Zodiac.”

Fincher’s film is in fact based on books by Robert Graysmith, the newspaper cartoonist portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal, who becomes increasingly obsessed with the identity of the Zodiac killer.

The movie also starred Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chloë Sevigny, John Carroll Lynch and Anthony Edwards.

Fincher’s remarks were in response to a fan question about the inspiration behind his work.

“You have a responsibility to make sure that you are saying what you want to say because chances are they can deck you in an airport,” Fincher said, speaking generally.

“So you want to be conscious and be smart about it. Making movies about things that are ripped from headlines is a slippery slope. I think it’s important to be responsible, and by the same token, you also have to entertain an audience.”