Time Is Running Out for Audiences To Stream Robert Downey Jr.’s True-Crime Thriller

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Robert Downey Jr on the red carpet for Netflix

Published Jan 25, 2026, 6:20 PM EST

Britta DeVore is a Senior Author for Collider who has been known to dabble with Reality News as well.

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Of all the unsolved cases out there, none have captured and held onto the attention of people around the globe quite like that of the Zodiac. Known for terrorizing the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s and into the 1970s, the true identity of the killer behind the string of murders has never been confirmed in the decades since the slaying spree seemed to come to a screeching halt. Over the years, plenty of documentarians, filmmakers, authors, and other creatives have poured over the mountains of evidence and the suspect list to piece together their theories, but none have done it quite as well as David Fincher, who, in 2007, gave the world the edge-of-your-seat, nailbiting mystery thriller, Zodiac. The film stars Robert Downey Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal, and Mark Ruffalo, but time is running out to watch the iconic serial killer thriller before it cracks the case and leaves Netflix on February 16.

From its opening scene, Zodiac sets itself apart from other movies of its kind and immediately alerts audiences that they’re in for a twisted and dark ride through one man’s depraved mind. Beginning with the first case attributed to the Zodiac killer, the movie kicks off in 1969 when two teens are fired upon by a masked man with a gun. From there, all hell breaks loose, with the city of San Francisco caught in the crosshairs of a madman’s killer tendencies. The plot follows closely with the story of political cartoonist, Robert Graysmith (Gyllenhaal), who tags along with crime editor, Paul Avery (Downey Jr.), on his hunt to uncover the killer’s true identity. As the plot thickens, Robert realizes he may have bitten off more than he can chew and has tangled himself in one of the world’s most infamous tales of true crime.

In addition to the absolutely dynamite trio of performances from Downey Jr., Gyllenhaal, and Ruffalo, Zodiac also features the talents of Anthony Edwards, John Carroll Lynch, Brian Cox, Dermot Mulroney, and Elias Koteas. Not only did Fincher, writer James Vanderbilt, and producer Bradley J. Fischer spend months upon months unfurling their own investigation into the notorious and brutal string of crimes, but they also turned to the real Graysmith’s 1986 book, Zodiac, and its 2002 follow-up, Zodiac Unmasked, for inspiration and preparation.

The Mystery Remains

Despite Fincher, Vanderbilt, and Fischer’s best efforts (and the efforts of a multitude of other private investigators, police departments, armchair sleuths, and others), the identity of the Zodiac Killer may forever remain one of history’s biggest mysteries. Over the next two weeks, when you head over to Netflix to stream Fincher’s Zodiac, it’s worth swinging by the documentary section and watching the platform’s recent production, This Is the Zodiac Speaking, which focuses on the case’s primary suspect and unpacks plenty of information for those interested.

Zodiac leaves Netflix on February 16.