I used to grumble in frustration every time David Fincher’s name appeared next to any new project not named Mindhunter — the cult-favorite Netflix crime drama about FBI agents in the bureau’s Behavioral Science Unit which the director confirmed earlier this year won’t be coming back for a third season. The show was a fascinating psychodrama about probing the minds of serial killers and using insights gained to solve ongoing crimes. But don’t despair if you, too, loved the show and have been trying to manifest its triumphant return. Because I’d argue that Fincher’s upcoming Netflix movie The Killer looks like it’s going to be the best sort of consolation prize.
Starring Michael Fassbender as an assassin who moves with a kind of feral grace and intensity — and who lives by a code that calls for never improvising — Netflix released the first trailer for the upcoming thriller on Tuesday, which you can check out below.
Why do I say this film looks tailor-made for Mindhunter fans? Well, it has to do with the fact that the psyche of Fassbender’s hitman is very much a central piece of the story here. Look no further than the Amazon product summary of the graphic novel that The Killer is based on:
“A man solitary and cold, methodical and unencumbered by scruples or regrets, the killer waits in the shadows, watching for his next target. And yet the longer he waits, the more he thinks he’s losing his mind, if not his cool. A brutal, bloody, and stylish noir story of a professional assassin lost in a world without a moral compass, this is a case study of a man alone, armed to the teeth and slowly losing his mind.“
The streaming giant, for the moment, hasn’t told us much more about what to expect from The Killer — other than the fact that Fassbender plays an assassin who’s just had a near-miss before battling his employers and himself on an international manhunt. It is, however, one of the most highly anticipated Netflix movies still to come between now and the end of the year. Fincher’s name alone is reason enough for that.
As for when it arrives, The Killer will premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 3, followed by a limited theatrical run in October before hitting Netflix on Nov. 10. Also, the cast in addition to Fassbender includes Charles Parnell, Arliss Howard, Sophie Charlotte, and Tilda Swinton.
