The Killer: Michael Fassbender Says He Was “Salivating” to Make New David Fincher Movie

David Fincher is known for helming an array of popular films, including Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac, The Social Network, Gone Girl, and more. Now, the acclaimed director is returning with The Killer, which is based on Le Tueur, the French comic book series by writer Alexis Nolent (under the name Matz) and artist Luc Jacamon. The film stars Michael Fassbender, who is best known for playing young Magneto in the X-Men franchise. The first trailer for the film debuted in August, and early reviews from the Venice Film Festival have been extremely positive. Before the SAG strike, Fassbender spoke with Empire about The Killer and opened up about how excited he was to make the film. 

“This is the type of film I was salivating to do,” Fassbender shared. “There’s suspense and intrigue. A slow drip. I love that kind of movie.” He added, “There’s just trying to understand the mind of a sociopath … I try and put together a lifespan, to where the character is now.”

“Michael’s eyes betray a lot … He can hold a lot of conflicting things in his mind and his eyes allow you access to it,” Fincher shared. “He’s like Daniel Craig [who starred in Fincher’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo] in that way, saying, ‘I can do it better.’ Tell him to stop 1/3 inch shorter and he can fine-tune that technical stuff, while on top of that, he’s got really good ideas about behavior.” 

The director added, “He has this gift as an actor, but clamped on top of it is this incredible discipline about how he subdivides his next move.”

What Is The Killer About?

You can read a description of The Killer here: “After a fateful near-miss, an assassin battles his employers and himself on an international manhunt he insists isn’t personal.” The Killer “tells the story of an assassin that begins to develop a conscience and doubts his work, which happens at a time when clients demand his particular set of skills.” 

The Killer stars Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton, leading a cast that includes Kerry O’Malley as Dolores, Charles Parnell (Top Gun: Maverick) as Hodges, Arliss Howard (Full Metal Jacket), and Brazilian star Sophie Charlotte. Cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt (Mindhunter) is re-teaming with Fincher for the film, while his musical collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl, Mank) will compose the score. Fincher’s Se7en screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker penned the script, which is based on the French graphic novel by Alexis Nolent.

The Killer will arrive on Netflix on November 10.