Spotlight

1 INT. POLICE STATION, BOSTON - NIGHT, 1976 1

A quiet, cold winter night. An OLDER COP emerges from an

INTERVIEW ROOM, walks down a long hall.

Boston, MA - December, 1976

He reaches the front desk. A YOUNG COP looks to him,

curious, as he lights a cigarette.

YOUNG COP:

How’s that going?

OLDER COP:

The mother’s bawling and the uncle’s

pissed off.

YOUNG COP:

She’s not married?

OLDER COP:

Divorced with four kids. I guess

Father was helping out.

YOUNG COP:

Helping out?

The Older Cop shrugs. The front door opens and BURKE, FRESH

FACED, 32, walks in. He wears a dark overcoat.

OLDER COP:

Hey, Mr. Burke. They’re in the back

talking to the Bishop.

BURKE:

And Father?

The Older Cop nods in the other direction.

OLDER COP:

We put him in the break room.

BURKE:

Any press?

OLDER COP:

Some guy from the Citizen, but we

sent him away. None of the big

papers.

BURKE:

Let’s keep it that way.

Burke walks toward the interview room.

YOUNG COP:

(off Burke)

Who’s that?

OLDER COP:

Assistant DA.

YOUNG COP:

Gonna be hard to keep the papers

away from the arraignment.

OLDER COP:

What arraignment?

He’s matter of fact. The young cop reacts, looks towards the

PRIEST (GEOGHAN) sitting in the break room.

OLDER COP (O.C.) (CONT’D)

You can tell Father Geoghan it won’t

be much longer.

2 OMITTED 2

3 INT. POLICE STATION, INTERVIEW ROOM - MOMENTS LATER 3

A BISHOP, 50s, talks in hushed tones with SHEILA, 33. TWO

BOYS, 7 and 9, sit coloring.

BISHOP:

Sheila, you know what good work the

church does in the community. I

give you my personal guarantee that

I’m going to take Father out of the

parish and this will never happen

again.

Burke enters, eyes Sheila nervously fingering ROSARY BEADS.

BISHOP (CONT’D)

We’ll just be another moment, Paul.

BURKE:

Of course, Father.

The Bishop turns back to Sheila. Burke eyes the kids.

BISHOP (O.C.)

Now Sheila, I’m going to give you my

personal card...

11/26/14 2.

4 EXT. POLICE STATION - LATER 4

The Young Cop stands outside smoking. He watches as the

Bishop and Father Geoghan exit the police station and get

into a TOWN CAR, a DRIVER behind the wheel. As they drive

away, we HOLD ON the cop. PROCESSING.

FADE TO BLACK.

SPOTLIGHT:

FADE IN:

6 INT. BOSTON GLOBE, NEWSROOM - DAY, 2001 6

A large newsroom. REPORTERS and EDITORS gathered.

Boston, MA - July, 2001

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR BEN BRADLEE JR., 50s, gruff, stands in

front with an older reporter, STEWART, 60s. And a cake.

BEN:

Losing good reporters, it’s tough.

And losing one of our best... well

to put it as eloquently as I can,

it’s a real kick in the ass.

A few polite chuckles from those in the crowd.

BEN (CONT’D)

But Robby’s known Stewart longer

than most of you have been alive so

I’m gonna turn it over to him.

Robby?

Ben looks to WALTER ‘ROBBY’ ROBINSON, 55, Boston Everyman.

ROBBY:

Thanks, Ben. I think. And although

I take issue with the reference to

my seniority, I will say Stewart’s

departure is especially painful for

me. You see, for... what? 20 years

now, Stewart’s been more than

willing to part with his money at

the poker table...

(Laughter)

And I got a kid in college.

More laughter.

STEWART:

Yeah, but I’m gonna keep playing.

11/26/14 3.

ROBBY:

Problem solved. Godspeed, buddy.

Everyone’s laughing now. Robby connects in a warm, easy way.

ROBBY (CONT’D)

Now, Stewart, I find the timing of

your departure a bit disconcerting.

The corner office sits empty, the

new editor arrives on Monday, so

forgive me, buddy, but I gotta

ask... what the hell do you know?

The room hoots and laughs. Stewart covers his mouth. Speak

no evil. More laughter takes us to...

7 INT. GLOBE, HALL/STAIRWELL - LATER 7

SACHA PFEIFFER, 28, wholesome, no bullshit, and MATT CARROLL,

mid 40s, mustache, family man, walk down the hall, into a

stairwell and down a set of stairs, both carrying cake.

7A INT. GLOBE, HALL OUTSIDE SPOTLIGHT - MOMENTS LATER 7A

They emerge on the floor below, Sacha eating her cake.

MATT:

How’s the cake?

SACHA:

It’s really good. Saving yours?

MATT:

Nah, it’s for Mike. I can never eat

at those things. They kind of

depress me.

SACHA:

I know.

(taking a bite)

You see the numbers from Washington?

MATT:

Yeah. Very interesting.

SACHA:

I think so too.

They walk into --

8 INT. GLOBE, SPOTLIGHT OFFICE - CONTINUOUS 8

CRAMPED OFFICE. Small windows. MIKE REZENDES, late 30s,

good looks, so-so haircut, sits at his UNHOLY MESS of a desk.

11/26/14 4.

MIKE (INTO PHONE)

Uh huh. Uh huh. Uh huh. Dan, I

talked to my guy at Justice, I know

you guys have been dropping cases...

(then)

Look, Dan, I’m not asking if the

PD’s lying, I know they are. All

I’m asking is who’s behind it?

Matt sets the cake by Mike, sits at a desk full of FAMILY

PHOTOS. Sacha checks messages at a tidy desk, full of books.

MIKE (INTO PHONE) (CONT’D)

I get it. You don’t want to talk.

(listens)

I’m not mad, Dan, I’m hungry. We’ve

been talking so long, I missed

lunch. So I’m going to go eat,

which gives you an hour to decide if

you want to be on the right side of

this or read about it in the paper

like everyone else.

Mike hangs up the phone, digs into the cake.

SACHA:

You think Cahill’s got something?

MIKE:

Maybe, I just don’t think this

story’s for us.

MATT:

Ben likes it.

MIKE:

Yeah, it’s not bad, it’s just not

Spotlight.

Robby enters.

ROBBY:

What’s just not Spotlight?

SACHA *

The PD numbers. *

MIKE:

The numbers story. It feels

thin.

ROBBY (CONT’D)

Oh. You got Cahill to talk?

MIKE:

(busted)

No. But I will.

11/26/14 5.

ROBBY:

Good. Then we’ll know if it’s thin.

Robby goes into his office, bit of an edge to him.

MIKE:

How’d it go upstairs?

MATT:

Okay. Robby gave a good speech.

SACHA:

I heard Lubin and Connor are going

to the Times.

MATTY:

Come on, really?

MIKE:

Yeah, I heard the same thing.

MATT:

They’re leeching us.

MIKE:

At least they’re sending us a guy

from Miami to run things. That

should help.

MATT:

Has Baron even spent time in Boston?

MIKE:

I don’t think he’s ever been here

before. Maybe we should buy him a

map.

SACHA:

I have a friend down at the Herald,

said Baron cut 15% of the staff.

MATT:

Great.

Mike rolls his chair back, calls out to Robby in his office.

MIKE:

Hey Robby, the new boss coming in to

make cuts?

ROBBY:

I have no idea.

MIKE:

Aren’t you sitting down with him?

Robby looks up, f***ing Rezendes, always snooping.

11/26/14 6.

ROBBY:

Yes, I am.

MIKE:

You think it’s about Spotlight?

ROBBY:

I don’t know, Mike, but I do know

Ben needs an answer on the crime

numbers story.

MIKE:

I’m telling you, I really don’t

think that story’s for us.

ROBBY:

So you did get Cahill to talk then?

Mike, annoyed, wheels back to his desk, picks up his phone...

10 INT. FOUR SEASONS HOTEL, RESTAURANT - LATER 10

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