There are some mightily exciting movies from major directors still heading our way in the second half of the year (well, depending on whether they move due to strike action, that is). As it currently stands, we have Martin Scorsese’s return with Killers Of The Flower Moon, a fresh Ridley Scott historical epic in Napoleon, and (seemingly on shifting sands) Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two. Also on that list is the return of David Fincher – no, not with more Mindhunter, but with a fresh hitman thriller titled The Killer. And the lucky attendees of the Venice Film Festival will be the first audiences to see it – with a world premiere confirmed for this year’s festival line-up.
Fincher’s The Killer is set to play in competition at La Biennale Di Venezia for its 80th iteration – with a cast led by Michael Fassbender, and also featuring Tilda Swinton, Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell and more. Here’s the official logline: “After a fateful near miss, an assassin battles his employers, and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn’t personal.” The film is adapted from Alexis Nolent and Luc Jacamon’s French graphic novel of the same name, with a script by Andrew Kevin Walker, and music from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The rest of the world will get to see The Killer on Netflix from 10 November.
It’s not the only high-profile film coming to the festival. Ava DuVernay’s Origin, Wes Anderson’s The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, Michael Mann’s Ferrari, Bradley Cooper’s Maestro, Lucas Besson’s Dogman, Harmony Korine’s Aggro Dr1ft, William Friedkin’s The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, JA Bayona’s Society Of The Snow, Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, and Pablo Larrain’s El Conde also among the stacked line-up. Also playing at the festival will be Woody Allen’s Coup De Chance, and Roman Polanski’s The Palace, sure to be the subject of much discussion for their inclusion.
The Venice Film Festival runs this year from 30 August to 9 September – so expect reactions to all the films named above, Fincher’s The Killer included, during that timeframe.