Robert Towne, David Fincher join Netflix's Chinatown prequel series

Academy Award-winning writer Robert Towne will script the prequel to Roman Polanski's 1974 cult classic, Chinatown. Set to be a series on Netflix, the pilot episode will be penned by filmmaker David Fincher and Towne. 

The potential series follows the protagonist, private investigator Jake Gittes, before the events of Chinatown as he tackles cases involving LA's one percent, endemic corruption, infrastructure, and natural resources.

Fincher and Towne will also executive produce the series alongside Josh Donen. Casting for Jake Gittes, made memorable by multiple Oscar-winner Jack Nicholson, and the rest of the cast is underway. 

Chinatown became a box office and critical success, racking up 11 Academy Award nominations. However, it was only Towne who went home with a trophy for the best original screenplay. 

In 1990, a sequel, titled The Two Jakes was released, with both Nicholson and Towne returning. But it could not replicate the success of its predecessor.