A hitman and scandals on the horizon at the 80th Venice Film Festival

1. The Killer, David Fincher’s new feature film for Netflix

After the successful series Mindhunter and Mank – his latest film about the co-writer of the masterpiece Citizen Kane –, ten-time Oscar nominee Herman Makiewicz (played by Gary Oldman) – David Fincher is about to unveil his second feature film for the Netflix platform, with whom he has signed an exclusive contract for a period of four years. Entitled The Killer, the film will be based on the series of detective comics of the same name (in French Le Tueur), written by the screenwriter Matz and illustrated by the illustrator Luc Jacamon more than twenty years ago. We follow an enigmatic and anonymous character – aptly called The Killer – who coldly executes his employers’ contracts by killing his victims. If David Fincher faithfully adapts the comic book, he will certainly use the principle of the voice-over used in Fight Club (1999) because the comic book The Killer has very little dialogue. Instead, the long disillusioned monologues of the main character.

Two prestigious names have already been announced in the cast of the feature film: Tilda Swinton (Memoria, The French Dispatch, Okja) and Michael Fassbender (Assasin’s Creed, Alien, X-Men). If we already know that the plot will feature the story of a hitman , portrayed by the German-Irish actor, It is not yet known what kind of character the sixty-year-old actress will play. Postponed several times due to Tilda Swinton’s busy schedule, the feature film will be released in November 2023 on the platform. We also learn that composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have tackled the soundtrack of the project. Doubly appointed for Mank’s soundtracks and Soul (2020), the Ross-Reznor duo won their second Oscar in 2021: “Best Film Score” for Mank. A full house for the two favorite Hollywood composers, who have been working hand in hand since the soundtrack of The Social Network, their first big success. Historical collaborators of David Fincher, they had also signed the brilliant score of Watchmen, the uchronia inspired by the eponymous comic book and broadcast in 2019 on the HBO channel.

2. Should the 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival be worried?

The announcement immediately caused controversy: filmmakers Roman Polanski, Woody Allen and Luc Besson have all been selected by the committee of the Venice Film Festival, which will take place from August 30 to September 9. This means that the 80th edition of the film festival is opting for scandal by welcoming three directors targeted by accusations of sexist and sexual violence… For the moment, only Roman Polanski has indicated that he will not travel to Italy. Despite everything, moviegoers are still eager to discover Comandante, the new feature film by Neapolitan director Edoardo De Angelis , and The Beast by Bertrand Bonello, an adaptation of The Beast in the Jungle by the American novelist Henry James, who became a naturalized British. Initially, it was a certain Luca Guadagnino who was supposed to open the festival with his Challengers… He finally had to give it up because of the Hollywood social movements. Because on the other side of the Atlantic, the screenwriters’ strike, initiated on May 2, 2023, is still spreading since the actors have joined the movement, jeopardizing most of the rallies and all the promotional tours. This is due to the revaluation of salaries and the worrying developments in artificial intelligence, which threatens more and more jobs. For the moment, the Venice Film Festival does not seem to be worried about this turmoil. It remains to be seen whether this will be the case on August 30.
 

The Killer by David Fincher, available in November on Netflix.