David Fincher was already more than familiar with Netflix long before he signed an exclusive four-year development deal with the streamer having developed, executive produced and directed acclaimed TV shows House of Cards and Mindhunter, before delivering awards season favorite Mank last year.
It didn’t take long for the filmmaker to settle on his first directorial project under his new employers, though, with the news breaking in February of this year that he was resurrecting The Killer. Fincher had the graphic novel adaptation set up at Paramount back in 2007, but it’s now officially in development at Netflix with Michael Fassbender set to star.
As per The Playlist, another heavyweight talent is boarding the project, with Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton admitting to the outlet that she’s as good as signed. Production on The Killer was initially set to begin this year, but scheduling conflicts have seen it pushed back to 2022, with Swinton shooting Wes Anderson’s next movie and Fassbender preparing to compete in the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
Fincher’s Seven scribe Andrew Kevin Walker penned The Killer, which will follow Fassbender’s assassin as he experiences an existential and psychological crisis in a world without a moral compass, a logline that sounds perfect for Fincher’s stylistic and thematic sensibilities.