A Chinatown prequel series is in the works at Netflix from David Fincher and Robert Towne

Deadline

Towne, who won an Oscar and Golden Globe for writing the classic 1974 Roman Polanski Los Angeles noir film starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, is penning a pilot script with Fincher for a potential Chinatown prequel series. "The idea behind the prequel series would be to focus on a young Jake Gittes (played in the film by Jack Nicholson) as he plies his business in a town where the wealthy and corruption involves areas like land, oil and gangs," according to Deadline. "The hope is that Fincher might direct the pilot, but that is not part of the deal which at this point covers a pilot script." Set in 1937, Chinatown was inspired by the California Water Wars to bring water to Los Angeles. Fincher has already had success working on a Netflix TV series having executive produced House of Cards. If approved, Chinatown won't be only TV show set in pre-World War II Los Angeles. Showtime's upcoming Penny Dreadful: City of Angels will be set in 1938 Los Angeles, one year after the events of the Chinatown film.