Echoes of Hollywood

The day after the engagement party, Murphy participated in several promotional events for "Diego Ross" with 20th Century Fox. Gal Gadot flew to Boston to negotiate the rights with The Boston Globe alongside Bill Rossis. The next day, good news came back: The Boston Globe agreed in principle to grant Stanton Studios the film adaptation rights to their Pulitzer Prize-winning article. The remaining negotiations concerned the price and the specifics of the deal.

At the start of the new week, "Diego Ross" successfully received its rating, with the MPAA predictably classifying it as R-rated. 20th Century Fox ramped up their promotional efforts for the film. Given the film's budget, their promotional scale wasn't massive, focusing primarily on print media and internet marketing.

Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Margot Robbie, and others methodically posted film-related material on their official social media accounts, engaging their respective fan bases.

Before the end of the month, Gal Gadot finalized the negotiations with The Boston Globe and secured their authorization. She returned to Los Angeles to initiate formal talks with Netflix.

As Murphy had anticipated, Netflix's eagerness to produce exclusive content to stand out among their competitors was palpable. Representing Stanton Studios, Gal Gadot found the negotiations with Netflix significantly smoother than those with The Boston Globe.

Within just two days, both parties agreed to collaborate on adapting Michael Dobbs' novel into a series. They would each invest 50% in the project, sharing profits and rights proportionately for the first two seasons, without deducting any promotional or distribution costs incurred by Netflix.

This deal was akin to Stanton Studios handing their films to 20th Century Fox for distribution, with Fox covering promotional costs without charging any fees. Clearly, Netflix was highly committed to securing Murphy's collaboration.

While the negotiations weren't finalized instantly, they were on the right track. Gal Gadot continued representing Stanton Studios in the negotiations with Netflix. Meanwhile, Murphy, amid his promotional activities, began planning the adaptation of Dobbs' political novel.

Stanton Studios also announced a hiring call, looking to assemble an experienced team of writers for the political drama. Writing scripts for TV series is more complex and crucial than for films. After outlining the story, Murphy intended to entrust the detailed writing to a specialized team.

Like with films, the novel would serve as a foundation. Murphy wouldn't follow it slavishly. Films and TV series are distinct from literature; once transformed into scripts and visuals, they shed their literary qualities, becoming new art forms.

Stanley Kubrick made necessary changes to "Lolita" for the film adaptation, altering the protagonist's age and emphasizing moral criticism to pass American censorship. Similarly, Murphy would adapt the political novel to reflect the current social and political climate, making characters darker, more insidious, and despicable.

In the book, Frank Underwood's character will be more villainous than typical Hollywood protagonists, even devoid of redeeming qualities.

Sitting in his study, Murphy reviewed his plans, picking up Michael Dobbs' novel again. The title "House of Cards" stood out prominently on the cover. The term signifies a fragile, unstable plan, aptly reflecting the novel's content. In British politics, "House of Cards" symbolizes the House of Commons and political machinations within.

Murphy's adaptation would depict the US Congress, with "cards" representing political maneuvers. The novel's title alone hints at the protagonist's involvement in intricate political games.

"You sure about this protagonist?" Gal Gadot walked over, picking up the novel. "His actions are quite repulsive. Won't the audience dislike the show because they hate the main character?"

Murphy had already defined several key characters and their traits, but Gal Gadot wasn't impressed.

"They won't," Murphy seemed confident. "Frank Underwood isn't worse than the protagonists in 'Gone Girl,' especially the female lead. Think about it, honey. How many fans did Charlize Theron gain after that film?"

He continued, "Times have changed. Dark films are popular, and so are dark series. Audiences are tired of goody-two-shoes protagonists. Unique, flawed characters can be just as compelling."

Returning to her desk, Gal Gadot flipped through the novel, feeling resigned. In Murphy's works, protagonists rarely fit the traditional Hollywood hero mold. Even Superman, Clark Kent, had his dark side under Murphy's direction.

Murphy pulled out a stack of documents from the cabinet. "Good and bad are relative. Frank Underwood isn't worse than any other character. He just acknowledges he's a villain."

"Like you?" Gal Gadot teased.

"Honey..." Murphy feigned innocence. "Do you think I'm a villain?"

"Well, you're definitely not a saint," Gal Gadot retorted.

Murphy sighed dramatically. "When I was young, I hated bad guys."

"So you became one?" Gal Gadot quipped, not looking up from her book.

Murphy didn't respond directly, instead asking, "Do you know the scariest thing in life?"

Gal Gadot looked up, surprised. "You have fears?"

"Of course, everyone does." Murphy searched through the documents. "The scariest thing is growing up to become the person you once hated."

"Alright, get back to work," Gal Gadot said, deciding to rest and read the novel Netflix was so interested in.

Murphy nodded and focused on his documents. The stack included basic explanations of the American political system. "House of Cards" was written long ago and had even been adapted into a miniseries by the BBC. Relying solely on the novel would be a mistake.

The new series needed to align with the current American political landscape. Murphy's understanding of political systems was limited. For instance, the role of the House Whip had initially confused him. After some research, he learned it was the third-ranking position in the party, responsible for maintaining party discipline.

Frank Underwood, as the Democratic Party Whip in the House of Representatives, held significant power, second only to the Speaker and the Majority Leader.

Murphy continued to study various aspects of the political system, ensuring the series would be accurate and relevant. 

Understanding the Democrats' political stance was also essential. He planned to borrow elements from Dobbs' novel, given the author's experience as Deputy Chairman of the British Conservative Party, which lent authenticity to the political intrigue.

In Hollywood, any political drama must accurately reflect the basic structure of the system, or risk losing credibility.

Murphy spent considerable time preparing, immersing himself in political research before drafting the story and script outline.

He also decided on the series' tone, avoiding a polarized perspective. The focus would be on raw political maneuvering, depicting deals and strategies in a blunt manner. The details should resonate with viewers, offering a reflection of reality, even if not entirely accurate.

Such reflections didn't need to be perfectly true.

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