It is based on the 1996 book Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit, by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker.
According to Deadline, Fincher is to take the helm and will executive produce alongside Oscar-winning actress Theron.
Former FBI agent Douglas pursued some of the most notorious serial killers and rapists, developing profiling techniques to catch them.
He was in charge of some of the highest-profile cases in the US and many fictional characters have been based on him, including Jack Crawford in Thomas Harris' "The Silence of the Lambs" and Jason Gideon on "Criminal Minds".
"Mindhunter" will be Fincher's second Netflix project after "House of Cards".