James Vanderbilt gets honest about working with David Fincher in 2007 'Zodiac'

James Vanderbilt recently reflected on making Zodiac with David Fincher almost two decades later.

For those unaware, Fincher led the project as director in the 2007 crime thriller movie Zodiac, which chronicles the tale of the manhunt for the Zodiac Killer, who instilled fear in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 1960s and early 1970s.

The film, which is based on two nonfiction books about the real-life Zodiac serial killer by Robert Graysmith, cast top-tier Hollywood stars such as Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal, Chloë Sevigny, Anthony Edwards, and others.

Vanderbilt, who wrote the screenplay for Zodiac, recently chatted with PEOPLE magazine to promote his new film Nuremberg, a psychological thriller historical drama film, which he wrote, co-produced, and directed as well.

In a talk with the outlet, the 50-year-old American film director, screenwriter, and producer reminisced about collaborating with Fincher nearly 20 years ago.

He said, "It was really a dream for a young screenwriter to have someone of that level direct your film. It was also the first film I stayed on all the way through."

"I remember Fincher one day saying, ‘Look, it's you and me. We're the creative nucleus of this, and you're going to see it all the way through.’ Getting to sit next to a guy like that and watch him do his thing so well, it just was a dream come true," Vanderbilt remarked.

In addition, the creator of Scream went on to admit that he always recalls the time when he got the chance to work alongside Fincher.

Referring to the 63-year-old American film director, Vanderbilt unveiled, “He said something that always stuck with me, which is, ‘Good movies make you ask questions, bad movies give you all the answers.' So I hope we've made a good movie and I hope it makes people ask questions.”

Before concluding, it is pertinent to mention that Nuremberg was released on November 7, 2025 under the banner of Sony Pictures Classics.