David Fincher's neo-noir Netflix project will premiere in theaters Oct. 27 and debut on the streamer Nov. 10.
David Fincher's latest project with Netflix is diving into the mind of a killer in a whole new way.
On Tuesday, the streamer dropped the first look at The Killer, a neo-noir film that follows an assassin who finds himself unraveling. Based on the French graphic novel series of the same name by Alexis Nolent (a.k.a Matz) and adapted by Fight Club screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, Michael Fassbender stars as the titular mercenary who begins to have a psychological crisis in a world with no moral compass.
"Stick to your plan, trust no one," Fassbender's unnamed assassin tells himself throughout the bloody teaser. "Stick to the plan, forbid empathy... Anticipate, don't improvise... Never yield an advantage... Fight only the battle you're paid to fight. Ask yourself, 'What's in it for me?' Empathy is weakness and weakness is vulnerability. This is what it takes if you want to succeed. Simple."
The film's official logline reads: "After a fateful near-miss an assassin battles his employers, and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn't personal."
Charles Parnell, Tilda Swinton, Arliss Howard and Sophie Charlotte star alongside Fassbender.
The film marks Fincher's latest project with Netflix after executive producing cult favorites such as House of Cards and Mindhunter, and directing the feature film Mank.
The film has been in the works for over a decade; Paramount Pictures acquired the rights to The Killer in 2007 and announced Fincher would be directing before it landed at Netflix. Back in 2021, Netflix film chief Scott Stuber told Variety that the film is in a similar vein to Fincher's signature thrillers.
"The Killer is based on a graphic novel and it is about someone who is a contract killer and the methodology of that world and what he does, which David does detail better than anyone. He's so good in the detail of method, of watching something unfold," Stuber said. "Seeing that early stages of what he does, and something goes awry which then affects him personal. It's a really fun, big movie in the hands of one of the best filmmakers, and someone we're really lucky to have a relationship with."
He continued, "[Fassbender is] charming and great-looking and funny and all these things that you want him to have chances to show in film. He's a giant star ready to explode in the world, and he's just looking for those parts that can take advantage of who he is as a person. Opportunistically you see what David has done with talent throughout his career, and how he constantly elevates people to do their best work. The combination of those two were really excited about. It's David working with Andrew Kevin Walker again for the first time in a long time [since 'Seven']. It's a really provocative and interesting movie. ... I'm so excited about it."
The Killer premieres in theaters Oct. 27 and will be available to stream Nov. 10 on Netflix.
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