The Zodiac case was re-opened after the release of the film.
The murder victims' costumes were meticulously recreated from forensic evidence that was lent to the production.
Because he wanted the film to be as accurate as possible,David Fincherdecided not to depict any of the alleged Zodiac murders for which there were no surviving victims or witnesses.
WhenMark Ruffalomet David Toschi, the investigator he plays in the film, he was very impressed to learn that Toschi had perfect recall of every detail of every case.
The producers hired a private investigator to track down the real-life Zodiac survivor,Michael Renault Mageau.
The shooting script was 200 pages long. To prevent any problems with length that such a long script might cause, directorDavid Fincherdecided to ask his cast members to speak faster.
Robert GraysmithandPaul Averywere not actually friends. Their relationship is fictionalized for the film.
Trees had to be helicoptered in to the Lake Berryessa location, as the area had changed substantially since 1969, andDavid Fincherwanted it to resemble the murder site as closely as possible.
The Zodiac's first confirmed attack - the murders on Lake Herman Road - was excluded from the film, since there were no surviving victims to corroborate details. The creators thus decided to open the film with the 4th of July murders, considered to be the Zodiac's second double murders.
The hardest code to crack, known as Code 340, was seemingly finally solved by cryptographer(s) on Dec 5, 2020, after some 51 years of fame as one of the most difficult ciphers. It was discovered that some letters in the alphabet were never used in the deciphered message (j, q, x, y, z), that eight letters were represented by a single symbol, and that the others were represented by between two and ten symbols; a few of which were the actual letter. The message reads (including misspellings): "I hope you are having lots of fun in trying to catch me / That wasn't me on the TV show / Which brings up a point about me / I am not afraid of the gas chamber / Because it will send me to paradice all the sooner / Because I now have enough slaves to work for me / Where everyone else has nothing when they reach paradice / So they are afraid of death / I am not araid because I know that my new life is life will be an easy on in paradice death."
Hair was digitally added to the close-ups ofJake Gyllenhaal's knuckles as he draws or holds letters.David Fincherfelt that Gyllenhaal's hands "were too hairless and pretty".
David Fincher, screenwriterJames Vanderbilt, and producerBradley J. Fischerspent 18 months conducting research into the Zodiac murders. They interviewed witnesses, family members, suspects, retired and active investigators, the only two surviving victims, and the mayors of San Francisco and Vallejo.
In one of the Zodiac's letters, he muses on who would portray him in a film about him. In this film, he is portrayed by three separate actors, and in any shot featuring the Zodiac, the actor's faces are always out of focus or obscured. This served to keep the audience guessing, and perhaps as a balk to the actual Zodiac killer, so that he wouldn't be portrayed by a visible, or famous actor.
Dermot Mulroneyhad to wear a fat suit for his few short scenes, becauseDavid Fincherfelt he was in far too good shape for his character.
David Fincherwas always first choice to direct, based on his work onSe7en (1995).
Nancy Slover, the Vallejo operator who took the first Zodiac call, was asked to help provide voice direction by selecting an audio recording of readings by various, unidentified actors. After selecting the recording that sounded closest to Zodiac, it was revealed that she'd selected a reading byJohn Carroll Lynchwho plays prime suspect,Arthur Leigh Allen.
Jake Gyllenhaalshares one of the film's creepiest scenes withCharles Fleischer. In real life, the two have known each other since Gyllenhaal was three years old.
The film starts and ends with real-life Zodiac survivorMichael Renault Mageau's character.
David Fincherrecalled how, as a child, he came home from school one day after noting how a police car had been following his bus. His father matter-of-factly replied "Oh yeah. There's a serial killer who's killed four or five people, who calls himself Zodiac, who's threatened to take a high-powered rifle and shoot out the tires of a school bus and then shoot the children as they come off the bus".
George Lucasgave an interview to Empire magazine once stating that the Zodiac murders captured his imagination at the time as a high schooler and then college student at USC, and he always felt like Toschi was harshly judged for how the investigation was handled. He explained this is why he named a location on Tatooine Tosche Station, in honor of the SFPD inspector.
In order to save time,David Fincherdecided to digitally add all the blood in the murder scenes.
Jake GyllenhaalwasDavid Fincher's first choice for the role of Robert Graysmith. Had Gyllenhaal turned the role down, Fincher's second choice would have beenOrlando Bloom.
InitiallyDavid Fincherwanted to castBrad Pittas Avery, before he settled on Robert Downey, Jr.
Robert Downey Jr.was so unaccustomed to the experience of bothDavid Fincher's multiple takes, and the process of filming digitally, that he rebelled against Fincher for "having no time to get my shit together in my trailer" by hiding mason jars full of his urine on set. Downey finally acquiesced to Fincher's demands, recalling, "I just decided, aside from several times I wanted to garrote him, that I was going to give him what he wanted. I think I'm a perfect person to work for him, because I understand gulags."
Toschi spends the whole film mooching food - animal crackers, sandwiches - from those around him. When Graysmith presents the solution at the diner in the film's climax, Toschi pays for both their meals.
(At around one hour and thirty-five minutes) Scenes of Dave Toschi and Robert Graysmith watchingDirty Harry (1971)were filmed inside the Mann National Theatre in Westwood, California. The garish color schemes of the movie theater were not added by the art department. The very retro interiors of the theater had remained unchanged since 1969, when the National was first built. Interestingly, this film played at the Mann National Theatre in mid March of 2007. Thus, actual moviegoers watched celluloid moviegoers occupying their seats, on the National's trademark large screen. The theater has since been torn down.
The cab scene on Washington and Cherry Streets in San Francisco could not be entirely shot in San Francisco due to filming restrictions and the opposition of the neighborhood residents. So the production constructed a set replicating the intersection, including the street, apartments, and crime scene at Downey Studios, just outside of Los Angeles. Backdrops of San Francisco were digitally inserted to complete the scene. Only a few seconds of actual footage shot in the original crime scene location remains in the film.
Anthony Edwardswas cast as Armstrong becauseDavid Fincherwanted him to be played by a thoroughly decent person. Fincher already knew him, not so much from his work onER (1994), but because he was a neighbor.
Jake Gyllenhaalwas a little mystified whenDavid Finchergave him a doll and an old-fashioned diaper as preparation for his role as a young father.
In the film, Graysmith mentions Toschi wears his gun like Bullitt. Avery replies that Bullitt got it from Toschi, who was the inspiration forSteve McQueen's performance inBullitt (1968).
South Korean film directorBong Joon Hohas classifiedDavid Fincher's film as a "masterpiece," writing that "There was really nothing to find fault with about it, down to the cinematography, art direction, and action."
In real life,Melvin Bellinever touched the Zodiac letter mailed to him.
In multiple scenes throughout the film's soundtrack, a lone trumpet is frequently heard playing a four-note motif, and is an homage to a piece by American composerCharles Ives, aptly entitled "The Unanswered Question".
Talks with Sony fell through when the studio insisted that the film should not be any longer than two hours and fifteen minutes. Warner Bros. and Paramount agreed to share the production costs, even though a "talky" film with an inconclusive ending was a tough sell.
Invariably for location shots, it was cheaper to digitally erase satellite dishes, rather than physically taking them down.
The 110-day shoot included five weeks in the San Francisco Bay area. The film was brought in under budget.
Although the film was shot digitally, certain segments, mainly those in slow motion, had to be shot on film.
Jake GyllenhaalandMark Ruffalowere cast in part thanks toJennifer Aniston. DirectorDavid Fincherwas in the pre-production stages of the film when he asked her who some of her favorite co-stars were. She replied with Gyllenhaal and Ruffalo, who she had previously worked with onThe Good Girl (2002)andRumor Has It... (2005).
David Fincher's template for the film wasAlan J. Pakula'sAll the President's Men (1976).
David Fincherwanted to castJake Gyllenhaalbased on his performance inDonnie Darko (2001).
(At around one hour and twenty-eight minutes) A time lapse shot shows the completion of the Transamerica Pyramid in 1972. At the time, it was one of the five tallest buildings in the world.
As Robert Graysmith drives his son to school, the broadcaster on his car radio makes a reference to the then-forthcoming free concert byThe Rolling Stonesat the Altamont Speedway. It wasMelvin Belliwho suggested the Stones hold their concert there when the original venue fell through, one day before the show.
WhenDavid Fincher's planned adaptation of "The Black Dahlia" fell through, he was givenJames Vanderbilt's one hundred fifty-eight page screenplay.
This film pays homage toDirty Harry (1971), whose foe, Scorpio, was based on the Zodiac murderer. Another fictional policeman also encountered a foe called Scorpio around this time. In the Robert Graysmith book, they note that around the time of the Zodiac murders, the police investigated a possible connection to the Dick Tracy comic strip, as Dick Tracy faced a Zodiac-themed gang directed by a mastermind called Scorpio.
The scene whereJake Gyllenhaalelicits information fromMark Ruffalooutside at night, with the former showing up with his baby in a stroller, was complicated by the fact that Gyllenhaal was extremely ill with flu at the time and didn't want to shoot the scene.David Fincherinsisted that he do it as they only had the location for one night.
David Fincherwas particularly keen on havingDavid Shireprovide the music for the film, as he had done so effectively onAll the President's Men (1976). His sound editor,Ren Klyce, got in touch with the legendaryWalter Murch, who had worked onThe Conversation (1974)with Shire, who in turn contacted Shire.
Shane Salernooptioned theRobert Graysmithbook "Zodiac" when he was just nineteen years old, and developed it with Graysmith for several years, before selling it to Disney's Touchstone Pictures in a seven-figure deal. Salerno wrote several drafts of the screenplay before multiple administration changes at Touchstone derailed the project.
The cipher mailed to the Chronicle in the movie was actually mailed to the Examiner.
As in directorDavid Fincher's earlier filmSe7en (1995), a suspect is tracked in part by through library books the killer is suspected to have borrowed.
The U.S. Blu-ray released by Paramount Home Video had a very limited run. For a while, the Blu-ray became one of the rarest on the market; fetching prices close to one hundred dollars from second-hand online retailers, until Warner Home Video acquired the Paramount catalogue in 2012, and re-released it the following year.
Robert Graysmith's cocktail is made with vodka, gin, lemon-lime, and Blue Curaçao.
Insp Dave Toschi refers to Robert Graysmith as Dirty Harry. This is a nod to the real life InspectorDavid Toschiwho influenced the personal style ofClint Eastwood's character Harry Callahan inDirty Harry (1971).
Was sent to theaters under the name "Gemini".
Over the years, changes have been made to Blue Rock Springs, so the murders committed there had to be recreated at a different location, that looked more like the park did in 1969.
ScreenwriterJames Vanderbilthad readRobert Graysmith's book in 1986 while in high school, and had met the man at the premiere ofAuto Focus (2002).
Near the end of the film there is a rack filled with Graysmith's book titled 'Zodiac'. This is the real book published by original writer, source, and technical adviserRobert Graysmithabout his search for the Zodiac that is available for purchase.
(At around forty-four minutes) Television host Jim Dunbar mentionsMelvin Belli's appearance on Star Trek (1966) in the A.M. San Francisco scene. Belli guest-starred inAnd the Children Shall Lead (1968), which first aired on October 11, 1968.
(At around twenty-four minutes) The phone number 626-2345, displayed on the Yellow Cab in the film, was the actual phone number for the Yellow Cab Company in San Francisco. By the time that the film was released, the number had been changed.
In real life, when Michael Mageau picked out Arthur Leigh Allen from a lineup of photographs, he exclaimed, "That's him! He's the man who shot me!”
Variety reported on July 6, 2005, thatGary Oldmanhad signed to portray attorney Melvin Belli in this film, and a later story in the Hollywood Reporter stated that he had done so. On February 14, 2006, Gary Oldman's management company, The Douglas Management Group, issued a statement that the Hollywood Reporter story was not true, and that "Mr. Oldman is not in the film, and never was." However, in an interview on March 2, 2007, with Cinematical, the "Zodiac" authorRobert Graysmithstated, "Now we had Gary Oldman at one point, to play Melvin Belli. He went to a lot of trouble, they had appliances, but just physically it wasn't going to work, he just didn't have the girth."
(At around one hour and forty-five minutes) In the restaurant scene, where Robert Graysmith is treating David Toschi to a hamburger, Toschi chews the hamburger for some time before spitting the chewed food into a napkin. The reason for this was becauseMark Ruffalo, who played Toschi, is a vegetarian and refuses to consume meat. (However, one hour and twenty minutes into the movie, Toschi cadges half of his partner's BLT and then removes the tomato from it before eating it, rather than removing the bacon.)
Although Toschi and Armstrong are San Francisco Police Department Inspectors, their actual responsibilities are identical to those of detectives in other municipal police organizations. The San Francisco Police Department calls their detectives "inspectors". (Which anyone who has ever seen a police drama set in San Francisco knows.)
After Zodiac's bus threat is released to the public, Robert is discussing "The Water Theory" in regards to how Zodiac chooses his victims (Lake Berryessa, Blue Rock Springs, Washington and Cherry.) The film's palette makes the color blue very prevalent in most of the scenes. Some examples include: Zodiac's letters are written in blue ink. The first is read by the Editor, who is wearing a blue shirt. When reading the decoded cipher, thus introducing Avery and Graysmith to each other, they are both wearing blue shirts. Robert is wearing a blue shirt in every scene he's in. In Morti's, Graysmith introduces to Paul Avery a blue drink called an Aqua Velva. In the following shot, with the multiple empty glasses, the song "Crystal Blue Persuasion" by Tommy James & The Shondells plays. Melvin Belli's suit is navy blue, with a light blue shirt. The woman who pulls over to help a Zodiac victim is wearing a blue jacket. Dave Toschi's suit is light blue when reading Zodiac's Halloween card. Paul Avery's shirt on the airplane is blue. Arthur Leigh Allen's work coveralls are dark blue, Armstrong & Toschi are also wearing blue suits in this scene. When Robert is on the phone, while his kids are going over his files, the shirt he wears, and the phone are blue.
The Warner Bros. and Paramount logos used at the start of the film are almost identical to the ones used by the respective studios in 1969, but not completely. In the case of Warner Bros., their 1969 releases did not use their classic shield as depicted here, but instead carried a "Warner Bros.-Seven Arts" logo, used when the studio had merged withRay StarkandEliot Hyman's production company, Seven Arts. As for the Paramount logo, where it would have read "A Gulf+Western company" in 1969, it now reads "A Viacom Company", reflecting the new ownership.
Edited using Final Cut Pro.
Daniel Craigwas first choice for Paul Avery.
Philip Baker Hall(Sherwood Morrill) appeared in another film based on the killings,The Zodiac (2005).
At the beginning of the film, a clock tower shows the time is 8:20. Later, when a possible origin of the Zodiac name and symbol is revealed in a watch advertisement, 8:20 is the time shown in the ad.
Arthur Leigh Allen is played byJohn Carroll Lynch. On October 6, 1969, the real Arthur Leigh Allen was interviewed by a Vallejo P.D. detective whose name was John Lynch.
(At around forty-three minutes) In the newsroom scene, the theme music is that used by National Nine News (Australia) in the 1980s and 1990s.
The two leads,Jake GyllenhaalandMark Ruffalo, don't share a scene until thirty-two minutes and thirty-seven seconds into the film.
Mark Ruffalosaid, "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.'"
In the flyover shot of the early construction of the Transamerica Pyramid, the "box" foundation is completely devoid of any piles or columns. Unlike most conventional high-rise foundations, the Pyramid was uniquely constructed without any piles driven into the bedrock. The weight of the building actually rests on trusses at the first two levels, and the trusses rest on top of this “box".
Though Callahan's Diner was a set built for the film, the Callahan's Diner logo and window script is identical to that used by Callahan's Diner at 1213 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, California. It's quite likely that members of the cast and/or crew of the film were familiar with the Santa Monica restaurant and used it as an art model for the San Francisco locale. TheDirty Harry (1971)reference inherent in the diner's name may simply be an added plus.
Mark Ruffalosaid ofDavid Fincher's demand for endless takes, "[he] makesMichael Mannlook like he's working on a McDonald's hamburger line during rush hour." Mann and Ruffalo had worked together onCollateral (2004).
(At around fourteen minutes) The bar Paul Avery frequents in the film is called Morti's. Mortis is Latin for death.
Mark Ruffalosaid, "If you get into who these cops were, you realize how they have to take their hunches, their personal beliefs, out of it. Dave Toschi said to me, 'As soon as that guy [Arthur Leigh Allen] walked in the door, I knew it was him.' He was sure he had him, but he never had a solid piece of evidence. So he had to keep investigating every other lead."
John Carroll LynchandJake Gyllenhaalpreviously played father and son inBubble Boy (2001); and boss and employee inThe Good Girl (2002).
Chosen by "Les Cahiers du cinéma" (France) as one of the 10 best pictures of 2007 (#5, tied withLa France (2007)).
Arthur Leigh Allen tells Bill Armstrong he's left-handed. However, he wears his watch on his left hand, whereas most people wear a watch on their non-dominant hand, a possible indication that Allen's claim is untrue.
The KYA radio station jingle can be heard in the opening scene. KYA began broadcasting in 1926 in San Francisco, and had adopted a Top 40 format by the film's time frame.
In the film when the suspected killer, Arthur Leigh Allen, is brought in for questioning, a title appears on screen: SEPT. 14, 1972. After he is released on lack of evidence, Inspector David Toschi attends a SPECIAL SCREENING - SFPD on a marquee of the NORTH POINT THEATER which is a screening of DIRTY HARRY. DIRTY HARRY was released on Dec. 22, 1971. In reality, a gala world premiere benefit performance was held for the San Francisco Police Activities League, most likely a few days before the Dec. 22 opening.
The film cast includes one Oscar winner:Robert Downey Jr., and three Oscar nominees:Jake Gyllenhaal,Mark Ruffalo, andChloë Sevigny.
(At around one hour and thirty-five minutes) Captain Lee tells Toschi to take some time off and "go to Candlestick". Candlestick Park was the home of the San Francisco Giants from its construction in 1960 to 2000, the San Francisco 49ers from 1971 to 2013, and the Oakland Raiders in 1961. In 2014, the 49ers moved to their new home at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara and Candlestick Park was demolished in 2015.
Clint Eastwoodrefused permission for any of his scenes fromDirty Harry (1971)to be used for the screening that Graysmith and Toschi attend.David Finchertold Total Film: "He didn't want to be in a serial killer movie. I guess he's done enough of them."
Toschi flies to Riverside on PSA (Pacific Southwest Airlines). PSA was one of the first large discount airlines, operating from 1949 to 1988 when it was integrated into USAir. It is not related to Southwest Airlines.
Mark Ruffalo's character, Dave Toschi, eats animal crackers throughout the film. Ruffalo is a vegetarian in real life (during the diner scene, he's actually seen spitting out a bite of his burger into a napkin because he refused to swallow it). As such, these crackers are the only "animals" Ruffalo actually eats.
Near the end of the film at 2:29 when Robert, played byJake Gyllenhaal, meets Leigh, played byJohn Carroll Lynch, at the hardware store, the movie shows the date December 20 1983. However, Leigh is looking at a calendar of February 1980.
Two of the lead actors,Mark RuffaloandRobert Downey Jr., co-starred in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as The Hulk and Iron Man respectively.Jake Gyllenhaalalso starred inSpider-Man: Far from Home (2019), set in the same universe.
Zodiac received 28 nominations in total from all the different award shows but only won one (The Dublin Film Critics' Circle Award for Best Director forDavid Fincher). It is believed that's because Zodiac was released so early in the year (March 2007) and was up against heavyweight contenders likeNo Country for Old Men (2007),There Will Be Blood (2007)andAtonement (2007).
Clea DuVallpreviously starred inHelter Skelter (2004). Both films are about murders which took place in California in 1969.
Toschi's wife says she is putting on "the Folgers", meaning she's making coffee. The month before that scene occurred,Abigail Folger(whose grandfather founded Folgers Coffee) was killed, along withVoytek Frykowski,Sharon Tate, andJay Sebringby members of theCharles Manson"family".
Philip Baker HallandIone Skyeboth appeared inSay Anything... (1989).
Donal Loguealso worked withMark RuffaloinJust Like Heaven (2005).
John Carroll LynchandClea DuVallboth appeared inCarnivàle (2003).
Robert Downey Jr.won his Best Supporting Actor (for Oppenheimer) while competing withMark Ruffalo, his co-star in this movie and The Avengers film franchise.
Robert Graysmith's decoding of the second Zodiac encrypted message (containing 340 characters) is actually incorrect, and has been rejected by the FBI as invalid. The cipher has been finally cracked in December 2020 by international team of three amateur cryptographers, computer scientists and software developers with the help of modern computing resources not available in 1969-70. The decrypted message did not provide any useful clues regarding Zodiac's identity. It proved remarkably difficult to decrypt because of intentional or unintentional errors introduced during the encryption process.
The Zodiac case was re-opened after the release of the film.
The murder victims' costumes were meticulously recreated from forensic evidence that was lent to the production.
Because he wanted the film to be as accurate as possible,David Fincherdecided not to depict any of the alleged Zodiac murders for which there were no surviving victims or witnesses.
WhenMark Ruffalomet David Toschi, the investigator he plays in the film, he was very impressed to learn that Toschi had perfect recall of every detail of every case.
The producers hired a private investigator to track down the real-life Zodiac survivor,Michael Renault Mageau.
The shooting script was 200 pages long. To prevent any problems with length that such a long script might cause, directorDavid Fincherdecided to ask his cast members to speak faster.
Robert GraysmithandPaul Averywere not actually friends. Their relationship is fictionalized for the film.
Trees had to be helicoptered in to the Lake Berryessa location, as the area had changed substantially since 1969, andDavid Fincherwanted it to resemble the murder site as closely as possible.
The Zodiac's first confirmed attack - the murders on Lake Herman Road - was excluded from the film, since there were no surviving victims to corroborate details. The creators thus decided to open the film with the 4th of July murders, considered to be the Zodiac's second double murders.
The hardest code to crack, known as Code 340, was seemingly finally solved by cryptographer(s) on Dec 5, 2020, after some 51 years of fame as one of the most difficult ciphers. It was discovered that some letters in the alphabet were never used in the deciphered message (j, q, x, y, z), that eight letters were represented by a single symbol, and that the others were represented by between two and ten symbols; a few of which were the actual letter. The message reads (including misspellings): "I hope you are having lots of fun in trying to catch me / That wasn't me on the TV show / Which brings up a point about me / I am not afraid of the gas chamber / Because it will send me to paradice all the sooner / Because I now have enough slaves to work for me / Where everyone else has nothing when they reach paradice / So they are afraid of death / I am not araid because I know that my new life is life will be an easy on in paradice death."
Hair was digitally added to the close-ups ofJake Gyllenhaal's knuckles as he draws or holds letters.David Fincherfelt that Gyllenhaal's hands "were too hairless and pretty".
David Fincher, screenwriterJames Vanderbilt, and producerBradley J. Fischerspent 18 months conducting research into the Zodiac murders. They interviewed witnesses, family members, suspects, retired and active investigators, the only two surviving victims, and the mayors of San Francisco and Vallejo.
In one of the Zodiac's letters, he muses on who would portray him in a film about him. In this film, he is portrayed by three separate actors, and in any shot featuring the Zodiac, the actor's faces are always out of focus or obscured. This served to keep the audience guessing, and perhaps as a balk to the actual Zodiac killer, so that he wouldn't be portrayed by a visible, or famous actor.
Dermot Mulroneyhad to wear a fat suit for his few short scenes, becauseDavid Fincherfelt he was in far too good shape for his character.
David Fincherwas always first choice to direct, based on his work onSe7en (1995).
Nancy Slover, the Vallejo operator who took the first Zodiac call, was asked to help provide voice direction by selecting an audio recording of readings by various, unidentified actors. After selecting the recording that sounded closest to Zodiac, it was revealed that she'd selected a reading byJohn Carroll Lynchwho plays prime suspect,Arthur Leigh Allen.
Jake Gyllenhaalshares one of the film's creepiest scenes withCharles Fleischer. In real life, the two have known each other since Gyllenhaal was three years old.
The film starts and ends with real-life Zodiac survivorMichael Renault Mageau's character.
David Fincherrecalled how, as a child, he came home from school one day after noting how a police car had been following his bus. His father matter-of-factly replied "Oh yeah. There's a serial killer who's killed four or five people, who calls himself Zodiac, who's threatened to take a high-powered rifle and shoot out the tires of a school bus and then shoot the children as they come off the bus".
George Lucasgave an interview to Empire magazine once stating that the Zodiac murders captured his imagination at the time as a high schooler and then college student at USC, and he always felt like Toschi was harshly judged for how the investigation was handled. He explained this is why he named a location on Tatooine Tosche Station, in honor of the SFPD inspector.
In order to save time,David Fincherdecided to digitally add all the blood in the murder scenes.
Jake GyllenhaalwasDavid Fincher's first choice for the role of Robert Graysmith. Had Gyllenhaal turned the role down, Fincher's second choice would have beenOrlando Bloom.
InitiallyDavid Fincherwanted to castBrad Pittas Avery, before he settled on Robert Downey, Jr.
Robert Downey Jr.was so unaccustomed to the experience of bothDavid Fincher's multiple takes, and the process of filming digitally, that he rebelled against Fincher for "having no time to get my shit together in my trailer" by hiding mason jars full of his urine on set. Downey finally acquiesced to Fincher's demands, recalling, "I just decided, aside from several times I wanted to garrote him, that I was going to give him what he wanted. I think I'm a perfect person to work for him, because I understand gulags."
Toschi spends the whole film mooching food - animal crackers, sandwiches - from those around him. When Graysmith presents the solution at the diner in the film's climax, Toschi pays for both their meals.
(At around one hour and thirty-five minutes) Scenes of Dave Toschi and Robert Graysmith watchingDirty Harry (1971)were filmed inside the Mann National Theatre in Westwood, California. The garish color schemes of the movie theater were not added by the art department. The very retro interiors of the theater had remained unchanged since 1969, when the National was first built. Interestingly, this film played at the Mann National Theatre in mid March of 2007. Thus, actual moviegoers watched celluloid moviegoers occupying their seats, on the National's trademark large screen. The theater has since been torn down.
The cab scene on Washington and Cherry Streets in San Francisco could not be entirely shot in San Francisco due to filming restrictions and the opposition of the neighborhood residents. So the production constructed a set replicating the intersection, including the street, apartments, and crime scene at Downey Studios, just outside of Los Angeles. Backdrops of San Francisco were digitally inserted to complete the scene. Only a few seconds of actual footage shot in the original crime scene location remains in the film.
Anthony Edwardswas cast as Armstrong becauseDavid Fincherwanted him to be played by a thoroughly decent person. Fincher already knew him, not so much from his work onER (1994), but because he was a neighbor.
Jake Gyllenhaalwas a little mystified whenDavid Finchergave him a doll and an old-fashioned diaper as preparation for his role as a young father.
In the film, Graysmith mentions Toschi wears his gun like Bullitt. Avery replies that Bullitt got it from Toschi, who was the inspiration forSteve McQueen's performance inBullitt (1968).
South Korean film directorBong Joon Hohas classifiedDavid Fincher's film as a "masterpiece," writing that "There was really nothing to find fault with about it, down to the cinematography, art direction, and action."
In real life,Melvin Bellinever touched the Zodiac letter mailed to him.
In multiple scenes throughout the film's soundtrack, a lone trumpet is frequently heard playing a four-note motif, and is an homage to a piece by American composerCharles Ives, aptly entitled "The Unanswered Question".
Talks with Sony fell through when the studio insisted that the film should not be any longer than two hours and fifteen minutes. Warner Bros. and Paramount agreed to share the production costs, even though a "talky" film with an inconclusive ending was a tough sell.
Invariably for location shots, it was cheaper to digitally erase satellite dishes, rather than physically taking them down.
The 110-day shoot included five weeks in the San Francisco Bay area. The film was brought in under budget.
Although the film was shot digitally, certain segments, mainly those in slow motion, had to be shot on film.
Jake GyllenhaalandMark Ruffalowere cast in part thanks toJennifer Aniston. DirectorDavid Fincherwas in the pre-production stages of the film when he asked her who some of her favorite co-stars were. She replied with Gyllenhaal and Ruffalo, who she had previously worked with onThe Good Girl (2002)andRumor Has It... (2005).
David Fincher's template for the film wasAlan J. Pakula'sAll the President's Men (1976).
David Fincherwanted to castJake Gyllenhaalbased on his performance inDonnie Darko (2001).
(At around one hour and twenty-eight minutes) A time lapse shot shows the completion of the Transamerica Pyramid in 1972. At the time, it was one of the five tallest buildings in the world.
As Robert Graysmith drives his son to school, the broadcaster on his car radio makes a reference to the then-forthcoming free concert byThe Rolling Stonesat the Altamont Speedway. It wasMelvin Belliwho suggested the Stones hold their concert there when the original venue fell through, one day before the show.
WhenDavid Fincher's planned adaptation of "The Black Dahlia" fell through, he was givenJames Vanderbilt's one hundred fifty-eight page screenplay.
This film pays homage toDirty Harry (1971), whose foe, Scorpio, was based on the Zodiac murderer. Another fictional policeman also encountered a foe called Scorpio around this time. In the Robert Graysmith book, they note that around the time of the Zodiac murders, the police investigated a possible connection to the Dick Tracy comic strip, as Dick Tracy faced a Zodiac-themed gang directed by a mastermind called Scorpio.
The scene whereJake Gyllenhaalelicits information fromMark Ruffalooutside at night, with the former showing up with his baby in a stroller, was complicated by the fact that Gyllenhaal was extremely ill with flu at the time and didn't want to shoot the scene.David Fincherinsisted that he do it as they only had the location for one night.
David Fincherwas particularly keen on havingDavid Shireprovide the music for the film, as he had done so effectively onAll the President's Men (1976). His sound editor,Ren Klyce, got in touch with the legendaryWalter Murch, who had worked onThe Conversation (1974)with Shire, who in turn contacted Shire.
Shane Salernooptioned theRobert Graysmithbook "Zodiac" when he was just nineteen years old, and developed it with Graysmith for several years, before selling it to Disney's Touchstone Pictures in a seven-figure deal. Salerno wrote several drafts of the screenplay before multiple administration changes at Touchstone derailed the project.
The cipher mailed to the Chronicle in the movie was actually mailed to the Examiner.
As in directorDavid Fincher's earlier filmSe7en (1995), a suspect is tracked in part by through library books the killer is suspected to have borrowed.
The U.S. Blu-ray released by Paramount Home Video had a very limited run. For a while, the Blu-ray became one of the rarest on the market; fetching prices close to one hundred dollars from second-hand online retailers, until Warner Home Video acquired the Paramount catalogue in 2012, and re-released it the following year.
Robert Graysmith's cocktail is made with vodka, gin, lemon-lime, and Blue Curaçao.
Insp Dave Toschi refers to Robert Graysmith as Dirty Harry. This is a nod to the real life InspectorDavid Toschiwho influenced the personal style ofClint Eastwood's character Harry Callahan inDirty Harry (1971).
Was sent to theaters under the name "Gemini".
Over the years, changes have been made to Blue Rock Springs, so the murders committed there had to be recreated at a different location, that looked more like the park did in 1969.
ScreenwriterJames Vanderbilthad readRobert Graysmith's book in 1986 while in high school, and had met the man at the premiere ofAuto Focus (2002).
Near the end of the film there is a rack filled with Graysmith's book titled 'Zodiac'. This is the real book published by original writer, source, and technical adviserRobert Graysmithabout his search for the Zodiac that is available for purchase.
(At around forty-four minutes) Television host Jim Dunbar mentionsMelvin Belli's appearance on Star Trek (1966) in the A.M. San Francisco scene. Belli guest-starred inAnd the Children Shall Lead (1968), which first aired on October 11, 1968.
(At around twenty-four minutes) The phone number 626-2345, displayed on the Yellow Cab in the film, was the actual phone number for the Yellow Cab Company in San Francisco. By the time that the film was released, the number had been changed.
In real life, when Michael Mageau picked out Arthur Leigh Allen from a lineup of photographs, he exclaimed, "That's him! He's the man who shot me!”
Variety reported on July 6, 2005, thatGary Oldmanhad signed to portray attorney Melvin Belli in this film, and a later story in the Hollywood Reporter stated that he had done so. On February 14, 2006, Gary Oldman's management company, The Douglas Management Group, issued a statement that the Hollywood Reporter story was not true, and that "Mr. Oldman is not in the film, and never was." However, in an interview on March 2, 2007, with Cinematical, the "Zodiac" authorRobert Graysmithstated, "Now we had Gary Oldman at one point, to play Melvin Belli. He went to a lot of trouble, they had appliances, but just physically it wasn't going to work, he just didn't have the girth."
(At around one hour and forty-five minutes) In the restaurant scene, where Robert Graysmith is treating David Toschi to a hamburger, Toschi chews the hamburger for some time before spitting the chewed food into a napkin. The reason for this was becauseMark Ruffalo, who played Toschi, is a vegetarian and refuses to consume meat. (However, one hour and twenty minutes into the movie, Toschi cadges half of his partner's BLT and then removes the tomato from it before eating it, rather than removing the bacon.)
Although Toschi and Armstrong are San Francisco Police Department Inspectors, their actual responsibilities are identical to those of detectives in other municipal police organizations. The San Francisco Police Department calls their detectives "inspectors". (Which anyone who has ever seen a police drama set in San Francisco knows.)
After Zodiac's bus threat is released to the public, Robert is discussing "The Water Theory" in regards to how Zodiac chooses his victims (Lake Berryessa, Blue Rock Springs, Washington and Cherry.) The film's palette makes the color blue very prevalent in most of the scenes. Some examples include: Zodiac's letters are written in blue ink. The first is read by the Editor, who is wearing a blue shirt. When reading the decoded cipher, thus introducing Avery and Graysmith to each other, they are both wearing blue shirts. Robert is wearing a blue shirt in every scene he's in. In Morti's, Graysmith introduces to Paul Avery a blue drink called an Aqua Velva. In the following shot, with the multiple empty glasses, the song "Crystal Blue Persuasion" by Tommy James & The Shondells plays. Melvin Belli's suit is navy blue, with a light blue shirt. The woman who pulls over to help a Zodiac victim is wearing a blue jacket. Dave Toschi's suit is light blue when reading Zodiac's Halloween card. Paul Avery's shirt on the airplane is blue. Arthur Leigh Allen's work coveralls are dark blue, Armstrong & Toschi are also wearing blue suits in this scene. When Robert is on the phone, while his kids are going over his files, the shirt he wears, and the phone are blue.
The Warner Bros. and Paramount logos used at the start of the film are almost identical to the ones used by the respective studios in 1969, but not completely. In the case of Warner Bros., their 1969 releases did not use their classic shield as depicted here, but instead carried a "Warner Bros.-Seven Arts" logo, used when the studio had merged withRay StarkandEliot Hyman's production company, Seven Arts. As for the Paramount logo, where it would have read "A Gulf+Western company" in 1969, it now reads "A Viacom Company", reflecting the new ownership.
Edited using Final Cut Pro.
Daniel Craigwas first choice for Paul Avery.
Philip Baker Hall(Sherwood Morrill) appeared in another film based on the killings,The Zodiac (2005).
At the beginning of the film, a clock tower shows the time is 8:20. Later, when a possible origin of the Zodiac name and symbol is revealed in a watch advertisement, 8:20 is the time shown in the ad.
Arthur Leigh Allen is played byJohn Carroll Lynch. On October 6, 1969, the real Arthur Leigh Allen was interviewed by a Vallejo P.D. detective whose name was John Lynch.
(At around forty-three minutes) In the newsroom scene, the theme music is that used by National Nine News (Australia) in the 1980s and 1990s.
The two leads,Jake GyllenhaalandMark Ruffalo, don't share a scene until thirty-two minutes and thirty-seven seconds into the film.
Mark Ruffalosaid, "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.'"
In the flyover shot of the early construction of the Transamerica Pyramid, the "box" foundation is completely devoid of any piles or columns. Unlike most conventional high-rise foundations, the Pyramid was uniquely constructed without any piles driven into the bedrock. The weight of the building actually rests on trusses at the first two levels, and the trusses rest on top of this “box".
Though Callahan's Diner was a set built for the film, the Callahan's Diner logo and window script is identical to that used by Callahan's Diner at 1213 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, California. It's quite likely that members of the cast and/or crew of the film were familiar with the Santa Monica restaurant and used it as an art model for the San Francisco locale. TheDirty Harry (1971)reference inherent in the diner's name may simply be an added plus.
Mark Ruffalosaid ofDavid Fincher's demand for endless takes, "[he] makesMichael Mannlook like he's working on a McDonald's hamburger line during rush hour." Mann and Ruffalo had worked together onCollateral (2004).
(At around fourteen minutes) The bar Paul Avery frequents in the film is called Morti's. Mortis is Latin for death.
Mark Ruffalosaid, "If you get into who these cops were, you realize how they have to take their hunches, their personal beliefs, out of it. Dave Toschi said to me, 'As soon as that guy [Arthur Leigh Allen] walked in the door, I knew it was him.' He was sure he had him, but he never had a solid piece of evidence. So he had to keep investigating every other lead."
John Carroll LynchandJake Gyllenhaalpreviously played father and son inBubble Boy (2001); and boss and employee inThe Good Girl (2002).
Chosen by "Les Cahiers du cinéma" (France) as one of the 10 best pictures of 2007 (#5, tied withLa France (2007)).
Arthur Leigh Allen tells Bill Armstrong he's left-handed. However, he wears his watch on his left hand, whereas most people wear a watch on their non-dominant hand, a possible indication that Allen's claim is untrue.
The KYA radio station jingle can be heard in the opening scene. KYA began broadcasting in 1926 in San Francisco, and had adopted a Top 40 format by the film's time frame.
In the film when the suspected killer, Arthur Leigh Allen, is brought in for questioning, a title appears on screen: SEPT. 14, 1972. After he is released on lack of evidence, Inspector David Toschi attends a SPECIAL SCREENING - SFPD on a marquee of the NORTH POINT THEATER which is a screening of DIRTY HARRY. DIRTY HARRY was released on Dec. 22, 1971. In reality, a gala world premiere benefit performance was held for the San Francisco Police Activities League, most likely a few days before the Dec. 22 opening.
The film cast includes one Oscar winner:Robert Downey Jr., and three Oscar nominees:Jake Gyllenhaal,Mark Ruffalo, andChloë Sevigny.
(At around one hour and thirty-five minutes) Captain Lee tells Toschi to take some time off and "go to Candlestick". Candlestick Park was the home of the San Francisco Giants from its construction in 1960 to 2000, the San Francisco 49ers from 1971 to 2013, and the Oakland Raiders in 1961. In 2014, the 49ers moved to their new home at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara and Candlestick Park was demolished in 2015.
Clint Eastwoodrefused permission for any of his scenes fromDirty Harry (1971)to be used for the screening that Graysmith and Toschi attend.David Finchertold Total Film: "He didn't want to be in a serial killer movie. I guess he's done enough of them."
Toschi flies to Riverside on PSA (Pacific Southwest Airlines). PSA was one of the first large discount airlines, operating from 1949 to 1988 when it was integrated into USAir. It is not related to Southwest Airlines.
Mark Ruffalo's character, Dave Toschi, eats animal crackers throughout the film. Ruffalo is a vegetarian in real life (during the diner scene, he's actually seen spitting out a bite of his burger into a napkin because he refused to swallow it). As such, these crackers are the only "animals" Ruffalo actually eats.
Near the end of the film at 2:29 when Robert, played byJake Gyllenhaal, meets Leigh, played byJohn Carroll Lynch, at the hardware store, the movie shows the date December 20 1983. However, Leigh is looking at a calendar of February 1980.
Two of the lead actors,Mark RuffaloandRobert Downey Jr., co-starred in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as The Hulk and Iron Man respectively.Jake Gyllenhaalalso starred inSpider-Man: Far from Home (2019), set in the same universe.
Zodiac received 28 nominations in total from all the different award shows but only won one (The Dublin Film Critics' Circle Award for Best Director forDavid Fincher). It is believed that's because Zodiac was released so early in the year (March 2007) and was up against heavyweight contenders likeNo Country for Old Men (2007),There Will Be Blood (2007)andAtonement (2007).
Clea DuVallpreviously starred inHelter Skelter (2004). Both films are about murders which took place in California in 1969.
Toschi's wife says she is putting on "the Folgers", meaning she's making coffee. The month before that scene occurred,Abigail Folger(whose grandfather founded Folgers Coffee) was killed, along withVoytek Frykowski,Sharon Tate, andJay Sebringby members of theCharles Manson"family".
Philip Baker HallandIone Skyeboth appeared inSay Anything... (1989).
Donal Loguealso worked withMark RuffaloinJust Like Heaven (2005).
John Carroll LynchandClea DuVallboth appeared inCarnivàle (2003).
Robert Downey Jr.won his Best Supporting Actor (for Oppenheimer) while competing withMark Ruffalo, his co-star in this movie and The Avengers film franchise.
Robert Graysmith's decoding of the second Zodiac encrypted message (containing 340 characters) is actually incorrect, and has been rejected by the FBI as invalid. The cipher has been finally cracked in December 2020 by international team of three amateur cryptographers, computer scientists and software developers with the help of modern computing resources not available in 1969-70. The decrypted message did not provide any useful clues regarding Zodiac's identity. It proved remarkably difficult to decrypt because of intentional or unintentional errors introduced during the encryption process.
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