David Fincher, Michael Fassbender Movie ‘The Killer’ Films in Chicago This February

The Killer is on his way. SCREEN broke the news back in August that the latest David Fincher drama The Killer would be filming in Chicago, and now it appears those dates are set. Sources tell SCREEN the film is expected to shoot in Chicago from February 18th through March 18th. Fincher’s thriller rests on the shoulders of Academy Award nominated actor Michael Fassbender. Here’s what we know so far…

Chicago will serve as one of the final stops on the production schedule for The Killer. Fincher and his team recently wrapped filming in the Dominican Republic, following a reported shoot in Paris. The revered Fight Club director is starting up in New Orleans this week, where they are expected to roll cameras until February 18th. Production then moves from Louisiana to Chicago, with an anticipated wrap date of March 18th.

Oscar Nominee Fassbender Leads Cast

German-Irish actor Michael Fassbender is, of course, best known among American audiences for his stint as the super-villain Magneto in the X-Men movie franchise. He also received an Oscar nomination for his performance in 12 Years a Slave. In The Killer, Fassbender plays a cold-blooded mercenary who begins to have a psychological crisis. The Hollywood Reporter described Fassbender’s character as “an assassin who begins to psychologically crack as he develops a conscience, even as his clients continue to demand his skills.”

To bring yourself up to speed on all things Michael Fassbender, dive into this quick rundown of the Top 10 performances of Fassbender’s prolific career, from blockbuster to indie:

The story for The Killer is based on a graphic novel series of the same name by Alexis Nolent, who often uses the pen name “Matz.” Fincher fans will be excited to learn that the screenplay adaptation of Nolent’s novel is being penned by Andrew Kevin Walker, the scribe behind Fincher’s scintillating classic Se7en.

What can audiences expect in The Killer? The best place to start is Nolent’s graphic novel. For a light-hearted lowdown on the storylines and title character of the graphic novel, here is a five-minute piece from the Comic Book Syndicate:

Fincher Teaming Up with Netflix Once Again

Fincher is in the midst of a four-year film deal with Netflix. Mank, the Gary Oldman drama that chronicles screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz’s efforts to finish the script for the Orson Welles classic Citizen Kane, landed an eye-popping ten Academy Award nominations. Mank had marked Fincher’s first feature directing effort since 2014’s psychological thriller Gone Girl.

One of those Mank Oscar noms resulted in DP Erik Messerschmidt winning the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. The film had marked Messerschmidt’s feature cinematography debut after serving as a DP on Fincher’s Mindhunter series. SCREEN can confirm that Fincher is reuniting with cinematographer Messerschmidt for The Killer.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fincher has been associated with The Killer since at least 2007, when the project was set to move forward at Paramount. Brad Pitt, who worked with Fincher on several films including the afore-mentioned Se7en, was even at one point circling to star. The project never made it off the ground and was quietly picked up by Netflix, and here we are.

Check back here at Screen Magazine for local cast and crew announcements, shooting locations, release dates and more, as The Killer forges ahead into the new year.

Photo Credit: Marvel Studios