Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton star in The Killer.
Photo-Illustration: Vulture. Photos: Getty Images
David Fincher loves him a little European noir. The Oscar-winning director is back in the game with The Killer, his first film since 2020’s Mank. His latest effort takes us inside the mind of an assassin who develops a conscience. And, well, a mental breakdown is the natural progression for someone who unfortunately gets in touch with their emotions after a career of murdering. The Killer has been in development since at least the second Bush administration, with Fincher first attached to direct in 2007 under the Paramount banner. Now, it’s a Netflix production joined by frequent Fincher collaborators. Seven and Fight Club screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker wrote the script based on Luc Jacamon and Matz’s French graphic novel of the same name. Oscar-winning Mank and Mindhunter cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt shot the film. Below, all the clues we have so far about Fincher’s latest, starting with the teaser trailer.
Michael Fassbender utilizes that slightly unhinged look in his eye, playing the assassin. Charles Parnell, Arliss Howard, Sophie Charlotte, and Tilda Swinton are also cast in undisclosed roles.
The official logline suggests Fassbender ends up on some sort of globe-trotting spree. “After a fateful near-miss an assassin battles his employers, and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn’t personal,” reads the logline. In the books, Fassbender’s character, already crumbling from the weight of all his murders, ends up on a cop’s radar after a botched job.
The film premieres at Venice Film Festival before arriving in select theaters on October 27. Then, it heads to Netflix on November 10. Word of advice from the trailer? “Stick to your plan, trust no one.”
This post has been updated.
