Draft:J. J. Gittes (franchise)

J. J. Gittes
Based onOriginal characters created by
Robert Towne
Starring
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
1974–present
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$ million
(Cumulative of 2 films)
Box office$
(Cumulative of 2 films)

The J. J. Gittes franchise consists of American crime-thriller installments including two theatrical films. Based on original characters created by Robert Towne, the installments center around Jake "J.J." Gittes. ...

The franchise will continue with a prequel television series in development, as a streaming exclusive for Netflix.

Films

edit
Film U.S.
release date
Director Screenwriter Producer(s)
"Chinatown" June 20, 1974 (1974-06-20) Roman Polanski Robert Towne Robert Evans
The Two Jakes August 10, 1990 (1990-08-10) Jack Nicholson Robert Evans and Harold Schneider

"Chinatown" (1974)

edit

[1][2]

Retroactive: [3][4]

The Two Jakes (1990)

edit

Television

edit
SeriesSeasonEpisodesOriginally releasedNetworkShowrunnerDirectorScreenwritersExecutive Producer(s)Status
Untitled prequel series1TBATBATBANetflixDavid FincherDavid FincherDavid Fincher & Robert TowneTBAIn development

In November 2019, it was announced that a Netflix-exclusive prequel television series is in development. The series is being co-written by Robert Towne and David Fincher, while the latter will serve as showrunner. The series will reportedly explore the early career of Jake "J. J." Gittes.[5][6] Fincher and Josh Donen will serve as executive producers.[6] In March 2021, Fincher stated that writing on the project continues, while announcing that it will be a limited series that will center around the primary character at a younger age.[7]

In January 2023, it was reported that the associated creatives and studios had discussions with Henry Cavill to feature in the series.[8] By June 2024, Towne confirmed that the script for each episode had been completed. Stating that the show will explore the events that lead to Gittes becoming the cynical character audiences are familiar with, while also exploring the collaborative relationship he had with Lou Escobar while they were police partners before the events of Chinatown.[9]

Main cast and characters

edit
Character Film Television
"Chinatown" The Two Jakes Untitled Chinatown
prequel series
Jake "J. J." Gittes Jack Nicholson TBA
Evelyn Cross Mulwray Faye Dunaway  
Noah Cross John Huston  
Lt. Lou Escobar Perry Lopez  

Additional crew and production details

edit
Film Crew/Detail
Composer Cinematographer Editor Production
companies
Distributing
company
Running time
"Chinatown" Jerry Goldsmith John A. Alonzo Sam O'Steen Paramount Pictures,
Penthouse Video,
Paramount-Penthouse Presentations,
Long Road Productions,
Robert Evans Company
Paramount Pictures 2hrs 11mins
The Two Jakes Van Dyke Parks Vilmos Zsigmond Anne Goursaud Paramount Pictures,
88 Productions
2hrs 18mins
Untitled Chinatown prequel
television series
TBA TBA TBA Netflix Original Series Netflix TBA

Reception

edit

Box office and financial performance

edit
Film Box office gross Box office ranking Budget Worldwide
Net Income/Loss
Ref.
North America Other territories Worldwide All time
North America
All time
worldwide
"Chinatown" $29,200,000 $29,200,000 #3,316 #4,582 $6,000,000 $23,200,000 [10][11][12]
The Two Jakes $10,005,969 $10,005,969 #5,101 #6,957 $25,000,000 -$14,994,031 [13][14][15]
Totals $30,205,969 $30,205,969 x̅ #4,209.5 x̅ #5,769.5 31,000,000 $8,205,969

Critical and public response

edit
Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore
"Chinatown" 99%
(73 critic reviews)[16]
92/100
(22 critic reviews)[17]
A[18]
The Two Jakes 68%
(19 critic reviews)[19]
56/100
(17 critic reviews)[20]
A[18]
Chinatown prequel TBD TBD TBD

References

edit
  1. ^ Murphy, A. D. (June 19, 1974). "Chinatown". Variety. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  2. ^ Ebert, Roger (February 6, 2000). "Chinatown". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  3. ^ Patton, Joshua M. (June 20, 2024). "RETRO REVIEW: Chinatown Left an Indelible Mark on Hollywood & Cinema". Comic Book Resource. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  4. ^ Mahler, Matt (June 19, 2024). "Chinatown Is Still the Pinnacle of Neo-Noir Nihilism 50 Years Later". MovieWeb. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  5. ^ Otterson, Joe (November 18, 2019). "'Chinatown' Prequel Series in Development at Netflix From David Fincher, Robert Towne". Variety. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Fleming Jr., Mike (November 18, 2019). "Netflix Teams Robert Towne And David Fincher for 'Chinatown' Prequel Series Pilot Script". Deadline. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  7. ^ Hersko, Tyler (March 11, 2021). "David Fincher Is Working on a 'Film Appreciation' TV Series Where Guests Discuss Favorite Movies". Indie Wire. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  8. ^ Kamal, Nathan (January 10, 2023). "Exclusive: Henry Cavill In Talks For Chinatown Netflix Series". Giant Freaking Robot. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  9. ^ Murphy, J. Kim (June 22, 2024). "As 'Chinatown' Turns 50, Robert Towne Reflects on His Netflix Prequel Plans With David Fincher and Writing Jack Nicholson's Most Iconic Role". Variety. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  10. ^ "Chinatown".
  11. ^ "Chinatown (1974) - Financial Information".
  12. ^ "Film History Milestones - 1974". Filmsite.org. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  13. ^ "The Two Jakes".
  14. ^ "The Two Jakes (1990) - Financial Information".
  15. ^ Jack Mathews (August 5, 1990). "Jake Laid-Back". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  16. ^ "Chinatown - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. 20 June 1974.
  17. ^ "Chinatown". Metacritic.
  18. ^ a b "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  19. ^ "The Two Jakes - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. 10 August 1990.
  20. ^ "The Two Jakes". Metacritic.