One of the Greatest Serial Killer Movies Ever Made Lands on a New Streamer

Nearly two decades after its original release, director David Fincher‘s Zodiac remains one of the greatest serial killer movies ever made. Fincher has often dabbled in the genre, having previously directed the noir classic Se7en. He went on to direct The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and then executive-produced the Netflix series Mindhunter. But Zodiac is arguably the biggest cult hit he has ever made, especially given how significantly it underperformed in theaters. The movie followed the cartoonist Robert Graysmith‘s investigation into a series of real-life killings that rocked California in the 1970s; this was when Fincher was growing up in the area. Zodiac was widely acclaimed for its gripping narrative and technical achievements, and it will be available to stream on Paramount+ beginning next month.

Released in 2007, Zodiac featured Jake Gyllenhaal as Graysmith, while Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo played supporting roles. The movie grossed around $85 million at the worldwide box office, against a budget that has also been reported to be as high as $85 million. Zodiac marked Fincher’s first time working with digital cameras, which the famously exacting filmmaker now swears by. The movie also utilized blue screens to extend sets and remains one of the best examples of the use of invisible visual effects. Zodiac is now sitting at a “certified fresh” 90% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “A quiet, dialogue-driven thriller that delivers with scene after scene of gut-wrenching anxiety. David Fincher also spends more time illustrating the nuances of his characters and recreating the mood of the ’70s than he does on gory details of murder.”

David Fincher Has Been Working With Netflix for Over a Decade

The Zodiac Killer case remains unsolved, but a Netflix documentary titled This Is the Zodiac Speaking claimed to have evidence to support theories posited by Fincher’s film. Following the release and success of Gone Girl in 2014, Fincher has worked exclusively with Netflix. He has directed the films Mank and The Killer, and has executive-produced Mindhunter, House of Cards, and a couple of other shows. He’ll continue his partnership with Netflix on the upcoming The Adventures of Cliff Booth, a sequel to Quentin Tarantino‘s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, starring Brad Pitt. You can watch Zodiac on Paramount+ from next month, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Release Date

March 2, 2007

Runtime

157 minutes

Writers

James Vanderbilt

Producers

Ceán Chaffin, Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, Bradley J. Fischer