Synopsis

Set in the San Francisco Bay Area between 1968 and 1983, Zodiac follows the investigation into a serial killer who taunts police and newspapers with cryptic letters and ciphers. As the official case stalls, cartoonist Robert Graysmith becomes increasingly absorbed in identifying the killer, drawing journalists and investigators into a long, damaging pursuit of answers.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is based on Robert Graysmith's nonfiction books Zodiac and Zodiac Unmasked, while the screenplay was written by James Vanderbilt.

• Zodiac was the first studio feature shot with the Thomson Viper FilmStream high-definition camera. The digital system helped the production capture long, detailed takes without repeatedly changing film magazines.

• Production ran from September 12, 2005, to February 2006. Although much of the movie was filmed in Los Angeles, the production also used Northern California locations connected with the real case.

• The Washington and Cherry Streets crime scene was recreated on a studio set because the San Francisco intersection had changed substantially. Digital effects were then used to restore its late-1960s appearance.

• The filmmakers recreated the victims' clothing from forensic evidence, including the distinctive blue-and-white floral pattern of Darlene Ferrin's camisole.

• Computer-generated blood and clothing stains were used in several murder sequences. This allowed the production to preserve costumes and avoid the lengthy cleanup required by practical blood effects.

• The film's 157-minute theatrical cut was shortened from a longer version. One removed passage was a music-driven montage intended to mark the passage of time through changing decades.

• Zodiac premiered in competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival before its United States release on March 2, 2007.

• The film's deliberate pace and unresolved conclusion reflect the uncertainty of the real investigation rather than a conventional solved-mystery structure.