Brad Pitt Turned Down Netflix’s New David Fincher Thriller Because It Was Too Dark and Violent

Brad Pitt thought Netflix’s new actioner, The Killer, was so violent and mean-spirited that he turned down the lead role. Despite David Fincher, Pitt’s frequent collaborator, developing and directing the project, the Bullet Train star couldn’t be convinced. Fincher recently revealed the info in an interview with Rolling Stone.

The Killer stars Michael Fassbender as a nameless assassin on a job in Paris. After the hit goes wrong, and his loved ones are targeted by a shadowy enforcer (Tilda Swinton), the killer sets about executing his bloody revenge.

Fincher began developing the comedic thriller back in 2007 when he first became aware of the source graphic novel. At the time, he was finishing off The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which marked the director’s third collaboration with Pitt after Se7en and Fight Club. Fincher was hoping for a fourth team-up on The Killer with the Troy stunner. But Pitt wasn't feeling it.

“I’d originally been thinking of Brad back in 2008,” Fincher said. “But his response had been, ‘Eh, a little too nihilistic for me.’”

The star’s refusal left the casting in a state of flux. “‘OK, so, who?’” the Gone Girl director recalled thinking of his other options. Pitt’s reluctance, along with a busy schedule, caused Fincher to put The Killer on the back burner. “I’d been preoccupied, and then the rights lapsed and returned to the author,” he said. “It just sort of went away at that point.”

Fincher made four films before returning to The Killer, including The Social Network (2010) and Mank (2020), both of which earned him Academy Award nominations for best director. Though it features much more on-screen violence than Fincher’s other work, The Killer is one of his more hopeful, and least nihilistic, movies. While the script seemingly changed a great deal in the intervening years, it’s unclear if Pitt’s notes had any impact on the tonal shift.

Fassbender, who starred opposite Pitt in Inglourious Basterds, inevitably took on the eponymous role. Fincher said the actor's precision as a race car driver aided the character, who speaks very little and expresses himself mostly through action.

“He likes a physical challenge, and because of his racing, he has this incredible precision," Fincher said of Fassbender. "I mean, it’s practically a silent movie. And he was able to give the audience everything they needed to know simply by doing exactly what he did efficiently, precisely, and without a single word.”

The Killer premiered in cinemas last month, earning mostly positive reviews. It's currently streaming on Netflix. You can check out the trailer below.