Draft:J. J. Gittes (franchise)

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.

"Chinatown" (1974)
Retroactive:

Television
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. Fincher and Josh Donen will serve as executive producers. 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.

In January 2023, it was reported that the associated creatives and studios had discussions with Henry Cavill to feature in the series. 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.