Inspector Dave Toschi needs a night off. After years of chasing the so-called Zodiac Killer, Toschi thought he had found his man, only for his captain to shoot him down, citing insufficient evidence to make an arrest. At the movie theater later on, the picture Toschi watches with his wife doesn’t make him feel any better. It’s Dirty Harry, the 1971 movie in which Clint Eastwood‘s Inspector Harry Callahan does battle with a killer called Scorpio.
Frustrated by what he’s seeing, Toschi heads to the lobby for a smoke. As viewers shuffle out after him, one remarks, “Dave, that Harry Callahan did a hell of a job with your case.”
“Yeah, no need for due process, right?” Toschi responds sarcastically to indicate his frustration.
Or, at least that’s how it went in the movies. Specifically, the film Zodiac, written by James Vanderbilt and directed by David Fincher,...
Frustrated by what he’s seeing, Toschi heads to the lobby for a smoke. As viewers shuffle out after him, one remarks, “Dave, that Harry Callahan did a hell of a job with your case.”
“Yeah, no need for due process, right?” Toschi responds sarcastically to indicate his frustration.
Or, at least that’s how it went in the movies. Specifically, the film Zodiac, written by James Vanderbilt and directed by David Fincher,...
- 3/18/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. are good friends today with the latter having just won his first Oscar after being nominated in the same category as the former. Both stars have shared the screen several times, with their most successful collaboration being the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where Downey starred as Iron Man and Ruffalo as the Hulk.
Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo (Image: Instagram | @markruffalo)
Yet the MCU was not the first time both stars shared the screen but it was David Fincher’s 2007 movie, Zodiac that became their first ever collaboration. However, Downey would have never starred in the acclaimed movie had Brad Pitt said yes to the lead role.
How Mark Ruffalo And Robert Downey Jr. Got To Star In Their First Movie Together Downey and Ruffalo in Zodiac
Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. are better known as the Hulk and Iron Man for many fans.
Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo (Image: Instagram | @markruffalo)
Yet the MCU was not the first time both stars shared the screen but it was David Fincher’s 2007 movie, Zodiac that became their first ever collaboration. However, Downey would have never starred in the acclaimed movie had Brad Pitt said yes to the lead role.
How Mark Ruffalo And Robert Downey Jr. Got To Star In Their First Movie Together Downey and Ruffalo in Zodiac
Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. are better known as the Hulk and Iron Man for many fans.
- 3/13/2024
- by Maria Sultan
- FandomWire
David Fincher is an obsessive filmmaker. He's become somewhat infamous for his perfectionism, shooting multiple — some would say exhausting — takes to get what he needs. There's a method to this madness: Fincher is looking for something raw and honest. "I hate earnestness in performance," the filmmaker once half-jokingly said. "Usually by Take 17 the earnestness is gone." It's fitting, then, that Fincher's best film is about obsession. "Zodiac," which hit theaters in 2007 and promptly failed at the box office, is the best work of art the filmmaker has created so far; a brilliant, captivating film that grabs you by the throat from the first frame and doesn't let up. Like the characters who inhabit the movie, we grow obsessed with the story; with the mystery; with the truth that can never really be learned.
Fincher knows a thing or two about serial killers. His thriller "Seven" (or "Se7en" if you want...
Fincher knows a thing or two about serial killers. His thriller "Seven" (or "Se7en" if you want...
- 2/15/2024
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
The San Francisco-based Dave Toschi was a vital figure in one of the most high-profile criminal cases in U.S. history: the hunt for the Zodiac Killer. His methods and demeanor also served as inspiration for Steve McQueen’s titular Bullitt and Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry. But when it came to bringing the man himself to the big screen, who better than Mark Ruffalo? As it turned out, the studio didn’t care if Ruffalo signed on for Zodiac or not.
Speaking with highsnobiety, Mark Ruffalo said that his offer for Zodiac was a take it or leave it one, which is no surprise given the actor had more indie cred than studio push. “Studios, they weren’t coming to me in that way. I’ll never forget when they were negotiating my deal [for Zodiac], the studio negotiator literally said to my manager, “Look, we don’t give a shit about Mark Ruffalo,...
Speaking with highsnobiety, Mark Ruffalo said that his offer for Zodiac was a take it or leave it one, which is no surprise given the actor had more indie cred than studio push. “Studios, they weren’t coming to me in that way. I’ll never forget when they were negotiating my deal [for Zodiac], the studio negotiator literally said to my manager, “Look, we don’t give a shit about Mark Ruffalo,...
- 11/18/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Mark Ruffalo revealed that his casting in the 2007 serial killer drama Zodiac didn’t go quite as some may think.
In a recent interview with High Snobiety, the actor said a studio rep made it clear that they didn’t particularly want him in the Paramount Pictures film.
“I’ll never forget when they were negotiating my deal [for Zodiac], the studio negotiator literally said to my manager, ‘Look, we don’t give a shit about Mark Ruffalo, we don’t even want Mark Ruffalo in this movie, so you’re going to take what we’re offering you or forget it,'” Ruffalo recalled.
In Zodiac, directed by David Fincher, two reporters, Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr., become obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac Killer, an unidentified murderer who went on a killing spree in San Francisco in the 1970s. Ruffalo portrayed Detective David Toschi in the movie.
But...
In a recent interview with High Snobiety, the actor said a studio rep made it clear that they didn’t particularly want him in the Paramount Pictures film.
“I’ll never forget when they were negotiating my deal [for Zodiac], the studio negotiator literally said to my manager, ‘Look, we don’t give a shit about Mark Ruffalo, we don’t even want Mark Ruffalo in this movie, so you’re going to take what we’re offering you or forget it,'” Ruffalo recalled.
In Zodiac, directed by David Fincher, two reporters, Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr., become obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac Killer, an unidentified murderer who went on a killing spree in San Francisco in the 1970s. Ruffalo portrayed Detective David Toschi in the movie.
But...
- 11/18/2023
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
(Welcome to Scariest Scene Ever, a column dedicated to the most pulse-pounding moments in horror with your tour guides, horror experts Chris Evangelista and Matt Donato. In this edition, Chris takes a trip to Lake Berryessa with "Zodiac.")
David Fincher's "Zodiac" was a box office disappointment when it arrived in 2007. Despite this, those who bothered to see the dang film came away impressed, and in the years since its release, "Zodiac" has risen to become considered by many (myself included) David Fincher's best film. Meticulously crafted and just as obsessive as both Fincher and the characters in the film, "Zodiac" isn't your normal serial killer movie. In fact, the killings stop rather early in the movie, and from there, "Zodiac" becomes less about the killer and more about the characters on his trail. Tense, funny, shocking, and often overwhelming, "Zodiac" is one of the best movies of the early 2000s.
David Fincher's "Zodiac" was a box office disappointment when it arrived in 2007. Despite this, those who bothered to see the dang film came away impressed, and in the years since its release, "Zodiac" has risen to become considered by many (myself included) David Fincher's best film. Meticulously crafted and just as obsessive as both Fincher and the characters in the film, "Zodiac" isn't your normal serial killer movie. In fact, the killings stop rather early in the movie, and from there, "Zodiac" becomes less about the killer and more about the characters on his trail. Tense, funny, shocking, and often overwhelming, "Zodiac" is one of the best movies of the early 2000s.
- 2/17/2023
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
The case of the Zodiac Killer–who murdered five people (that we know of) in Northern California in the late 1960s, and whose identity still remains a mystery–has fascinated filmmakers ever since his reign of terror began. This is partially because of his methods, partially because of his direct contact with investigators among the police and media, and partially because he was never caught. He was never even positively identified, which means, for all we know, he could still be alive today. Thus the Zodiac’s macabre history has gripped the imaginations of artists for decades, either with direct interpretations or tales and characters inspired by him.
In fact, it may just be a strange coincidence, but the latest movie to feature a killer patterned after the Zodiac–Matt Reeves’ The Batman, in which Reeves reinterprets classic Bat-villain the Riddler as a psychotic yet methodical murderer who likes leaving...
In fact, it may just be a strange coincidence, but the latest movie to feature a killer patterned after the Zodiac–Matt Reeves’ The Batman, in which Reeves reinterprets classic Bat-villain the Riddler as a psychotic yet methodical murderer who likes leaving...
- 3/2/2022
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
This upcoming month, there are two interesting genre titles playing on Fearnet that you should take note of; 'Eden Lake' and 'Dahmer.' Why? Because they both represent early movies for actors that have proved to be outstanding performers in the arts long before they honed their craft. In the case of 'Eden Lake,' the film is fronted by Michael Fassbender, long before he played Magneto in the 'X-Men' films, stole the show in Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds' & played the android David from 'Prometheus' with such cold, calculated perfection. Also, you can catch 'Dahmer,' the bio pic from director David Jacobson, which stars Jeremy Renner in one of his first cinematic lead roles. Now he's an Avenger in the Marvel Universe! So it got me thinking about other examples of successful stars you may have totally forgotten were in genre films.
- 3/6/2014
- by Rob Galluzzo
- FEARnet
Branded to Kill Directed by Seijun Suzuki Written by Hachiro Guru Starring: Joe Shishido, Koji Nanbara, Isao Tamagawa Like 'Tokyo Drifter', Seijun Suzuki's 'Branded to Kill' is a strange, quirky, moody gangster picture that goes out of its way to poke holes in the tropes of this sub-genre while also indulging in some sixties pop cinema. While the film's characters and plot are sometimes tough to penetrate, Suzuki's sense of style and his gleeful mocking of genre conventions is the real draw here. The plot of 'Branded to Kill' is rooted in simple genre beats yet still comes across as characteristically over-complicated. To simplify; hitman Goro Handa and his wife Mami catch a taxi after arriving in Tokyo. The driver, Kasuga, is a former hitman and asks Goro to help him out on a job in order to break back into the business.
- 1/20/2012
- by Jay C.
- FilmJunk
Actor Mark Ruffalo had a tough time getting his career started, having to bartend for nine years before getting his first break in the 2000 indie gem, "You Can Count of Me." Now the dedicated performer is firmly cemented in the Oscars echelons, nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his turn in "The Kids Are All Right."
Find out more about Ruffalo's career!
Oscar Nominee Trivia File: Mark RuffaloThe Love of the Theater
Mark took classes...
Find out more about Ruffalo's career!
Oscar Nominee Trivia File: Mark RuffaloThe Love of the Theater
Mark took classes...
- 2/10/2011
- Extra
Exclusive: Two months into the job, Showtime entertainment president David Nevins is already hard at work building a development slate with some big-name auspices. Among the latest to sign up for projects at the pay cable networks are Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards who are working on a drama project together, and Jeff Daniels and Timothy Busfield, who are collaborating on another project, Happily Ever After, which would star Daniels. Zodiac co-stars Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards co-created and will executive produce the Showtime project. There is hope that they may also star but that is still unclear as Ruffalo's feature commitments may get in the way. Weeds writer/executive producer Roberto Benabib is writing the script set in the morally ambiguous world of media crisis management and centered on two partners running such a firm. CBS TV Studios is producing. It was was during the filming of David Fincher's 2007 movie Zodiac,...
- 9/24/2010
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
There are Famous Monsters…and then there are famous monsters.
Both Psycho and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre were inspired by the real-life crimes of mass murderer Ed Gein; The Silence of the Lambs, book and film, incorporated character traits of multiple serial killers in the depiction of Jame Gumb, the psychopath hunted by FBI agent Clarice Starling — with a little help from the imprisoned Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter, himself a (still-mysterious) amalgam of stranger-than-fiction monsters of past and present.
While the profoundly disturbing thriller Se7en reeked with authentic nihilism, and films like Dawn of the Dead and Hostel took blood-soaked pains to offer satiric commentaries on the sorry state of humanity, there’s an entire genre of films that bypass the more commercial goals of “escapism” in favor of more directly dramatizing the horrific tales we’ve read about in the newspapers, pored over in paperback, or seen described...
Both Psycho and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre were inspired by the real-life crimes of mass murderer Ed Gein; The Silence of the Lambs, book and film, incorporated character traits of multiple serial killers in the depiction of Jame Gumb, the psychopath hunted by FBI agent Clarice Starling — with a little help from the imprisoned Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter, himself a (still-mysterious) amalgam of stranger-than-fiction monsters of past and present.
While the profoundly disturbing thriller Se7en reeked with authentic nihilism, and films like Dawn of the Dead and Hostel took blood-soaked pains to offer satiric commentaries on the sorry state of humanity, there’s an entire genre of films that bypass the more commercial goals of “escapism” in favor of more directly dramatizing the horrific tales we’ve read about in the newspapers, pored over in paperback, or seen described...
- 3/15/2010
- by Movies Unlimited
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
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