8 Reasons The Killer Needs To Become David Fincher’s First Real Movie Franchise

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for The Killer.

Netflix’s new hit movie The Killer has the potential to become David Fincher’s first original film franchise. While there have been no official updates about the status of The Killer 2, the original movie provides plenty of great opportunities to foresee what a film series with Fincher and Fassbender could look like. Since debuting on Friday, November 10, 2023, The Killer has remained at the top of the U.S. Netflix movie chart for nearly a week. The Rotten Tomatoes score of 86% places it in the esteemed category of being one of Fincher’s best thriller movies despite also being somewhat of a methodological slow burner.

David Fincher’s The Killer is his first feature film made exclusively for Netflix after signing a 4-year deal with the giant streaming platform in November 2020. Fincher has worked extensively with Netflix over the past decade with critically acclaimed titles such as House of Cards (2013 – 2018), Mindhunter (2017 – 2019), Love, Death & Robots (2019 – ), and the Oscar-winning Mank (2020). With the recent success of The Killer, there is a great deal of speculation about Fincher’s future plans and potential project revivals, such as a rumored sequel to The Social Network (2010) and a popularly demanded Mindhunter season 3. Fincher could also end up extending The Killer into a multi-project film franchise.

8 Fincher Never Got To Make His Expected Millennium Trilogy

Fincher’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Sequel Was Abandoned

One of the biggest reasons why Fincher could plausibly make The Killer into a film series is that he never got the opportunity to complete his expected Millennium Trilogy. After the release of his film adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo starring Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig, there were reports that the film would be the first of the Americanized version of the established book and Swedish film trilogy. Fincher had been working with Sony on the anticipated development of The Girl Who Played with Fire with Craig and Mara rumored to be attached. The project was ultimately dropped because the box office performance of Fincher’s 2011 film fell below expectations.

7 The Killer’s Ending Set A Foundation For A Potential Sequel

Nothing Is Stopping The Killer Series From Naturally Expanding

The ending of The Killer feels like it was left intentionally open-ended, with a seemingly happy ending (in a way) but not necessarily a complete one. With The Killer still alive after avoiding retaliation for a botched assassination attempt and exacting revenge on those responsible for hurting his presumed girlfriend, nothing is stopping Fassbender’s eerie protagonist from returning to his profession after taking some time off in his Dominican Republic hideout. The added element of The Killer surprisingly sparing Claybourne’s life at the end of the film could set up another chain of events where he will have to once again take out those he finds responsible.

6 The Killer Could Be Netflix’s Answer To John Wick

John Wick Is One Of The Most Profitable Action Franchises Ever

The massive success of the John Wick franchise has certainly gained the attention of Netflix and other streaming giants who would probably want to recreate their version of a violent action franchise for their own platforms. With streaming rights for the first three John Wick films belonging to Peacock and the fourth film exclusively available at Starz, Netflix has been cut out of the picture when it comes to one of the most profitable action franchises of recent cinematic history. The critical success and popularity of The Killer on Netflix are both great signs that Netflix could find massive potential in creating a John Wick of their own out of Fincher’s film.

5 Fassbender Is Due For Another Major Film Franchise

Fassbender Starred In X-Men & 2 Alien Movies

Michael Fassbender has been one of the main faces of two major film franchises of the 2010s, X-Men and Alien. The actor has not been confirmed for the 2024 Alien movie Alien: Romulus and is currently not attached to any future X-Men titles, meaning that there could be some availability for Fassbender to appear in more potential Killer movies down the line. Fassbender played Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto in four X-Men movies and appeared in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017). Fassbender also starred in the 2015 film adaptation of Assassin’s Creed, which might have launched a franchise if it had received better reviews.

4 The Killer’s Comics Already Have Plenty Of Stories To Adapt

The Graphic Novel Series Is A Vault Of Creative Potential

Despite its multiple ostensible references to films and even video games, The Killer is directly based on a popular French graphic novel series of the same title. There are currently 26 individual comic book adaptations written in English based on The Killer’s original 13 albums that were written in French by Alexiz Nolent. aka Matz, with artwork by Luc Jacamon. Fincher’s film does take several creative leaps in its adaptations of the graphic novel series. However, if his potential sequel was still based on the comic books, then there are still plenty of avenues and stories that remain creatively untapped.

3 The Killer Received Mostly Positive Critical Reception

The Killer Is A Big Hit For Netflix

With a Tomatometer score of 86%, there is certainly enough critical reception to warrant a follow-up to The Killer. Many of The Killer’s reviews are generally positive despite some viewers sharing complaints of its lack of imagination and its overall rigid storytelling. While not all audiences have been as impressed as the majority of critics, the film has generated enough interest to have an ongoing conversation about its merits and its shortcomings. This proves that The Killer has a certain quality that will get people to watch, as evidenced by its long-running status in Netflix’s number-one movie spot.

2 The Killer Leaves Audiences Wanting More

The Killer 2 Could Be Better Than The Original

The common audience criticisms of The Killer have much to do with the fact that the film is a slow burner without much action and is overpowered by repetitive voiceover narration. While there may be some truth to these complaints, it would seemingly not be too difficult for Fincher, or even another director, to patch up those missteps and provide a more action-packed and less verbose sequel in The Killer 2. It would not be the first time that Fincher has set up a successful series for Netflix (House of Cards, Mindhunter), directing the first installment only to hand the reins over afterward.

1 The Killer Is Fincher’s Darkest (And Funniest) Movie In Years

The Killer Is Reminisncet Of Fincher’s Earliest Films

The Killer has been called one of Fincher’s most darkly humorous movies in years. This particular brand of black comedy, aided by Fincher’s signature style of filmmaking, certainly has the potential to stretch into multiple installments with The Killer 2 and beyond. Some positive reviewers of The Killer have commented that the film feels like a return to form for the director, drawing tonal parallels to his early works of the 1990s, Se7en and Fight Club. While The Killer isn’t perfect, it could become the initial stepping stone to launching Netflix’s and Fincher’s next great action franchise.