Following his black-and-white passion project Mank, David Fincher returns to the world of vibrant, slick thrillers with The Killer. An adaptation of Alexis Nolent’s graphic novel series, the Netflix neo-noir marks a reteam for Fincher with his Se7en screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, with Michael Fassbender leading the film as a cold-blooded assassin, joined by Tilda Swinton. Set for a Venice premiere, the first trailer and poster have now arrived ahead of an October 27 theatrical release and November 10 Netflix premiere.
David Fincher said in his Venice director’s statement: “The Killer is my attempt to reconcile notions I’ve had for years about cinematic stories and their telling. I have always held: “What were you doing in Chinatown?… As little as possible”—to be the single greatest evocation of backstory I’ve ever heard. I was also playfully curious about the revenge genre as a tension delivery-system. So when Mr. Walker came aboard and fully embraced these notions/ questions about broad brushstrokes of understanding giving way to the blind-stitch of “moment expansion” – I felt we needed to try something. Mr. Fassbender’s 3-hour response time for: “Yes, let’s!” sealed it for us both and, of course, we all wanted Tilda (Mr. Walker wrote it with her in mind—but please don’t tell Ms. Swinton, she could become insufferable if she knows literally everyone feels this way about her.)”
See the trailer and poster below and read our interview with cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt.
The Killer opens in theaters in October and arrives on Netflix on November 10.