Bobby Fischer Pawned by David Fincher
3/15/10 at 12:15 AM

Checkmate: David Fincher is attached to direct Columbia Pictures’ Pawn Sacrifice, a Bobby Fischer biopic that will follow the chess champion through his victory over Boris Spassky in 1972. At last that’s what Variety says. We hope Fincher does it Benjamin Button style, with Fischer starting life as a crazy anti-Semite and aging backwards into an adorable 13-year-old prodigy.

Fincher to make ‘Sacrifice’

Helmer circling ‘Dragon Tattoo’ – By TATIANA SIEGEL

David Fincher is making his next move, on Columbia Pictures’ chess drama “Pawn Sacrifice.”

The director is attached to the life story of American chess icon Bobby Fischer leading up to his historic world championship match against Boris Spassky.

Fincher is also circling the studio’s high-profile literary adaptation “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” which Scott Rudin is producing. Though there is no deal in place on “Dragon Tattoo,” Fincher has catapulted to the top of the studio’s list to helm the pic based on Stieg Larsson’s bestseller.

Producer Gail Katz has been developing “Pawn Sacrifice” for Columbia for years. Scribe Steven Knight (“Dirty Pretty Things”) recently turned in a screenplay that has attracted a number of A-list directors. Columbia was eager to work with Fincher again after collaborating on the director’s upcoming Facebook pic “The Social Network.”

Tobey Maguire is also producing “Pawn Sacrifice.”

Fincher made his previous two films — “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Zodiac” — for Paramount. The helmer’s attachment to “Pawn Sacrifice” and “Dragon Tattoo” signals that he is looking for a new home. Fincher, who is a final-cut director, became the first helmer with such a distinction to work with Columbia when he signed on to make “Social Network.”