The opportunity was too great to pass up as presented by filmmaker David Fincher to producer/writer Beau Willimon some three-and-a-half years ago–the chance to adapt the BBC miniseries House of Cards into a show for American audiences.
Fincher gravitated to Willimon based in part on the latter’s work on the script for the politically themed feature The Ides of March, which earned a 2012 Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay (shared with writers/producers George Clooney, who directed the film, and Grant Heslov; Willimon additionally was a co-producer on the movie).
Willimon recalled of his initial meeting with Fincher, “We talked about how to make House of Cards something American, contemporary and our own. I shared my thoughts with him and found that we shared the same instincts about what direction to take.”
Set in Washington, D.C., the new House of Cards stars Kevin Spacey as a South Carolina Democrat who gets passed over for U.S. Secretary of State despite being promised the plum cabinet post in exchange for helping to ensure the election of President Garrett Walker. Spacey’s character, Frank Underwood, decides to exact his revenge on all of those who betrayed him. Spacey heads a cast that includes Robin Wright, Kate Mara, Corey Stoll, Michael Kelly, Sakina Jaffrey, Kristen Connolly and Constance Zimmer.
The show has been groundbreaking, putting Netflix on the original programming map. Netflix debuted the series in early February, releasing the first full season, all 13 episodes, in one fell swoop to subscribers so they could watch it when it was most convenient for them.
House of Cards has garnered critical acclaim and is credited in some circles for Netflix’s turnaround performance on Wall Street. Netflix added some 2 million U.S. subscribers during the first quarter of this year, contributing to a total of 29.2 million U.S. subscribers for an $8 monthly service that streams movies and TV shows to Internet-connected devices.
Netflix also picked up another 1 million customers in the dozens of international markets where it streams video. This raised Netflix’s tally to 7.1 million streaming subscribers outside the U.S. And Netflix has said it will expand into an unidentified European market during the second half of the year.
Netflix’s stock price has soared as investors and financial analysts have embraced the viability of Netflix as an original content provider akin to an HBO, developing and presenting top drawer series that can’t be seen anywhere else.
Last month, Netflix debuted the series Hemlock Grove and this month is highlighted by the resurrection of the comedy Arrested Development.
In a recent conference call with financial analysts, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said, “I think we’re focused on moving toward more and more exclusive content, which reinforces a reason to join Netflix and a reason to subscribe.”
26 hours Willimon, who is showrunner/executive producer/writer-creator of House of Cards, was drawn to several prime elements of the series–the quality of the original BBC show and the challenge of adapting it for the U.S.; the chance to collaborate with Fincher, who not only serves as a series executive producer but also directed the first two episodes; and the high level of support from Netflix which translated into seemingly unprecedented storytelling and character development opportunities.
The latter factor is embodied in “a two season commitment which is almost unheard of,” said Willimon. “If there are other examples, they are few and far between. To think about being able to tell a story and develop characters over the course of 26 hours is a luxury that few, if any, shows or producers have. It’s the kind of up-front commitment that makes for more sophisticated, multi-faceted, layered stories and characters. It’s a game changer.”
This in turn led to attracting high-caliber directors to take on episodes after the first two helmed by Fincher.
“We thought of season one as a 13-hour movie,” related Willimon. “We wanted bold, risk-taking filmmakers. Even some of our directors who have done most of their work in television had also been involved in feature films or approached television with a filmic sensibility.”
Willimon noted that he and most of his colleagues on the show hadn’t worked in television before. “Ignorance is bliss,” he observed. “We weren’t bound by convention or habit. We took a cinematic approach to the storytelling and to the filmmaking itself. Fincher has one of the most refined and exciting filmic sensibilities out there. His aesthetic is unparalleled and he is rigorous about it. His knowledge of the craft, film history and his own visual voice are vast and deep.”
Fincher and Willimon discussed in detail which directors would be best for the show. “We discussed who would bring the most to the show–not only in terms of working within the story we created but also who had the voices in their own right that would elevate the series,” related Willimon. “There’s a consistency visually and narratively to the season. But the directors also beautifully brought their own voices to the conversation.”
The season one lineup of directors included James Foley, Joel Schumacher, Carl Franklin, Charles McDougall and Allen Coulter. (See this week’s Chat Room for more on Coulter and his involvement in the show which entailed his directing the last two episodes of season one.)
The directors also had the advantage of working with a stellar cast. “We were fortunate to be in that rare position where we got all our first choices, starting with Kevin Spacey,” said Willimon. “That almost never happens due to a host of reasons–scheduling, an actor not connecting with a story. In our case, we got great actors who play their characters and advance the story in compelling and surprising ways. That’s what people are watching for and it’s helped to make the show such a success.”
With the second season of House of Cards slated to soon begin production at press time, Willimon was reticent about sharing any details of what’s in store, including the lineup of directors this time around for the show. Suffice it to say that he now has a lot to live up to given the acclaim for season one. “It’s a big challenge but one we welcome.”
