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Zodiac Killer Project

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Overview

Filmmaker Charlie Shackleton was hot on the trail of the next great American true crime documentary—a riveting account of a highway patrolman’s quixotic effort to identify and capture the infamous Zodiac Killer.

Shackleton devised a plan, began collecting interviews, and shot “evocative B-roll” footage of ghostly California freeways and parking lots where the killer may have once lurked. And then the project fell apart, leaving Shackleton with fragments of the unfinished film and time to ruminate on shortcuts and signifiers of the ubiquitous genre.

Zodiac Killer Project emerges from the ash heap to probe and deconstruct the form with the incisive eye of a true crime connoisseur. A witty and beautifully assembled deep dive into our obsession with serial killers and the stories we tell about them, Shackleton’s resuscitation of his abandoned film follows in the free-range footsteps of documentary philosophers Errol Morris, Werner Herzog, and Joshua Oppenheimer.

Reactions, Awards & Festivals

Winner: NEXT Innovator Award

Sundance Film Festival 2025

Official Selection

SXSW Film Festival 2025

"Brilliantly deconstructs our obsession with true crime"

Bilge Ebiri

Vulture

“A clever deconstruction of true crime docs that both satirizes and deepens the genre”

Jordan Mintzer

Hollywood Reporter

“A biting statement on how many artists have been funneled into a creative dead-end by a trend-chasing market”

J. Kim Murphy

Variety

Cast & Crew
  • Self/Narrator : Charlie Shackleton
  • Lyndon : Guy Robbins
  • Tucker : Lee Nicholas Harris
  • Directed, Narrated and Edited by : Charlie Shackleton
  • Produced by : Catherine Bray, Anthony Ing, Charlie Shackleton
  • Executive Producer : Charlotte Cook
  • Cinematographer : Xenia Patricia
  • Focus Puller : Alex Tan
  • Original Score by : Jeremy Warmsley
Technical Info
  • Theatrical Release Date : November 21, 2025
  • Production Year : 2025
  • Country : United States, United Kingdom
  • Language : English
  • Running Time : 92 minutes
  • Aspect Ratio : 1.85
  • Projection Format : DCP
  • Rating : NR
  • Genre : Crime, Documentary, Mystery
Theatrical Engagements
Theater Name
City
State
Date
New York
NY
11/21/2025
San Francisco
CA
11/28/2025
Chicago
IL
12/05/2025
Glendale
CA
12/05/2025