Widescreen: Hotel Baker is ready for its closeup in 'The Killer'
Can you spot St. Charles in the trailer for David Fincher's "The Killer?"
The "Seven" director brought stars Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton to the suburbs in 2022 to film scenes for the contract-killer thriller that will hit select theaters in October.
The first trailer dropped this week, and the rapid-fire editing makes it hard to discern where any of it was filmed. Could that be a glimpse of the bridge over the Fox River at the 42-second mark, when Fassbender's credit hits the screen? The one just near Hotel Baker?
It definitely could be - St. Charles Mayor Lora Vitek told Shaw Media, in a story published in the Daily Herald, that "there are a lot of businesses that have been touched by the movie."
"It certainly will put Hotel Baker on a new level," she said in the April 1, 2022, article. "But I do know, based on the first cut, I believe that our Municipal Building is in it, obviously a lot of Main Street is, the Arcada Theatre is and so is Riverside Pizza."
Will Fassbender's globe-trotting hitman actually be taking down targets in St. Charles, or does the suburb "play" another city? Sugar Grove resident Denise Feltes told Shaw Media in January that her car was used in the filming of the movie - and the prop department put a fake New York license plate on it.
No matter the locale, "The Killer" looks like an exciting addition to Fincher's resume, a worthy successor to classics like "Fight Club," "Zodiac" and "Gone Girl."
After its short, Oscars-qualifying theatrical run, "The Killer" will premiere Nov. 10 on Netflix.
Prequel redux
George Lucas' "Star Wars" prequel trilogy had many vocal detractors two decades ago, but the kids who grew up watching Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen as Obi-Wan and Anakin are nostalgic adults now, and they'll have a chance to see all three movies this month at the Tivoli Theatre, 5021 Highland Ave., Downers Grove.
It starts this weekend with "The Phantom Menace," and "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith" arrive on Sept. 8 and 16, respectively.
And there's more: Those will be followed on Sept. 22 and 29 by the Disney-era prequels, "Solo: A Star Wars Story" and "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." (You might not be a fan, but they've gotta be better than that unfortunate first episode of "Ahsoka," right?!)
Tickets ranging from $5 to $9 are available now across multiple showtimes at classiccinemas.com.
• Sean Stangland is an assistant news editor who wore a homemade "What Would Jar Jar Do?" T-shirt to opening night of "Attack of the Clones."