Michael Fassbender Was Entirely CGI In 1 Surprising The Killer Scene, VFX Breakdown Video Reveals

The Killer‘s VFX are broken down in a new video, revealing that one surprising sequence featured a CGI double of Michael Fassbender. Directed by David Fincher, the new Netflix thriller sees Fassbender starring as an assassin whose life gets turned upside down after a job goes wrong. While there are several standout action scenes in The Killer, a particularly memorable sequence sees Fassbender driving away from a crime scene on a scooter through a maze of Parisian streets.

Now, in a recent video shared by Wylie Co. VFX on X (formerly known as Twitter), it’s revealed that The Killer‘s chapter 1 scooter sequence actually features a lot of surprising visual effects work. In fact, there are portions of the sequence in which Fassbender is entirely recreated using CGI. Check out the video below:

As revealed in the video’s voice-over, the sequence features an interplay of real photography and VFX shots, with the “nearly full CG” shots involving the recreation of both Fassbender and his environment, sometimes in extreme close-up.

The Killer’s VFX Continues A David Fincher Trend

Throughout his career, Fincher has embraced the power of visual effects, using digital artists to enhance or augment scenes so that they match his very specific vision. Most of these visual effects, however, are invisible, only proving noticeable due to behind-the-scenes videos or commentary.

In his 2007 film Zodiac, for example, Fincher used a lot of blue screen in order to adequately recreate the look of San Francisco from the 1960s through to the 1970s. These scenes would often use practical foreground elements such as period-accurate vehicles and props, with visual effects used to create the backgrounds, which often matched the exact locations the various Zodiac murders took place in. The film also seemlessly used visual effects to add in elements like blood spatter, which was less common then than it is now.

Even a biographical drama like The Social Network had a fair number of VFX shots. This includes, of course, the doubling of actor Armie Hammer to create the Winklevoss twins, but also smaller elements, like the addition of breath from actors’ mouths on a cold winter night. Fincher has always been a leader when it comes to “invisible” VFX in movies, and the latest video breaking down shots from The Killer further reinforces this.