The Ghost Writer

Come on!

But you realize

I know nothing about politics?

- You voted for him, didn't you?

- Adam Lang? Of course I did.

Everyone voted for him.

He wasn't a politician, he was a craze.

Well, there you go.

Look, it's a new ghostwriter he needs,

not another goddamn politico.

He was paid $10 million for these memoirs,

but rumor has it

the manuscript's a crock of sh*t.

Rhinehart's lending him his house

at the ocean so they can fix it,

and the pressure

must have gotten to McAra.

Pathologist said his blood was,

like, three parts booze.

You mean he drowned by accident?

Accident, suicide, who cares?

It was the book that killed him.

Well, that's encouraging.

Who is this McAra?

Should I have heard of him?

Yeah. He was some kind of aide to Lang

when he was Prime Minister,

so don't admit that you haven't.

He was with him for years.

I don't know, Rick.

This is a great opportunity for you.

Plus the money is good. Kids won't starve.

- I don't have any kids.

- I do.

Roy.

Who're you expecting to bomb you,

Random House?

We're publishing Lang's memoirs.

That's enough to make us a target,

apparently.

Thank you.

- How many have you seen?

- Five. You're the last.

I must be honest.

I don't think you're the right man

for this assignment.

Then it's a good job

it's not your decision, Roy.

John Maddox, chief executive

of Rhinehart, New York.

Sir.

Sidney Kroll,

Mr. Lang's Washington attorney.

Mr. Kroll.

And Nick Ricardelli I believe you know.

All right, Rick.

All right, I gather from Rick

you're aware of the situation?

Perhaps you can enlighten us

and tell us what exactly

you're gonna bring to this project.

Nothing.

No, I'm not gonna pretend

to be someone I'm not.

You have my CV.

His last effort was

the autobiography of a magician,

I Came, I Sawed, I Conquered.

Yeah, and it went straight

to number one, so...

After you turned it down, Roy.

Look, I don't read political memoirs.

Who does?

And I gather you've spent

$10 million on this book.

How much of that are you gonna see back?

Two? Three?

It's bad news for your shareholders.

And it's worse news

for your client, Mr. Kroll.

Adam Lang, he wants a place in history,

not in the remainder tables.

Oh, please!

It's because I know nothing about politics

that I'll ask the questions that get

right to the heart of who Adam Lang is.

And that is what sells autobiographies.

Heart.

Wow! That's nicely done.

- What utter balls.

- You think so?

John, of course.

Adam Lang's a world historical figure.

His autobiography is gonna be

a world-publishing event.

Yeah, well, I got warehouses filled with

world-publishing events

waiting to be pulped.

Sid?

Adam is obviously still very upset

by what happened to Mike McAra.

He was irreplaceable.

Irreplaceable, and yet he has to be replaced.

Adam can certainly appreciate the benefits

of trying someone different.

In the end, it's about chemistry.

Do you work out, maybe?

- Not really.

- That's a pity. Adam likes to work out.

Actually, I know a good writer

on the Guardian who uses a gym.

Okay, maybe we could just run over

the publishing schedule, yeah?

We need to wrap this up in a month.

- A month?

- Yes.

- You want the book in a month?

- We already have a first draft.

Yeah, well, it needs a lot of work.

That's why I like your rsum here.

You're fast, and you deliver.

You name it, he ghosts it.

And you're a Brit.

The ghost should be a Brit.

To get the jolly old tone right, right?

- Do you have any family commitments?

- No, I have no family. Why?

Adam is locked into a US lecture tour,

also a fundraising program

for the Adam Lang Foundation.

It's a month in the States. That's okay.

Couldn't I bring the manuscript back here

to work on?

I'm afraid not. It's in a secure environment

in Marty Rhinehart's own house.

Only a few people are allowed to handle it.

Sounds more like a bomb than a book.

I will need to see it myself at some point.

I am supposed to be editing it.

Yeah, in theory.

Actually, we need to talk about that.

- How soon can you get over there?

- As soon as you want.

- He'll fly tonight.

- Rick.

It's okay.

Okay, you're in.

Oh!

- Congratulations.

- Thank you. Thanks.

- Rick.

- Thank you.

Actually, I have something here

- you might want to look at.

- Is that... Is that...

No, no, no, this isn't Adam's book.

No, it's another client of mine.

Yeah, perhaps you can let me know

what you think.

Sure.

Okay, if you're gonna get

that evening flight,

we'd better talk contracts with Rick here.

Wanna show our friend to the door?

Would you?

Roy?

Call you in an hour, buddy.

Hey!

Remember...

Heart.

There's something not quite right

about this project.

- What? Me, you mean?

- Obviously you.

And McAra. Suicide?

He didn't strike me as the suicidal type.

Always nice to see you, Roy.

Good luck.

Oh, God.

Thank you.

- Yeah?

- Congratulations!

- On what?

- On having me as your agent.

Yeah, I can hardly believe my luck.

Are you packed?

I just got mugged.

Sh*t! Are you okay?

Yeah, all they took was the manuscript

that Sidney Kroll gave me.

What? Why?

I don't know. You tell me.

Are you hurt?

No, I'm fine. I think they must

have followed me from Rhinehart's.

Why would they do that?

Well, maybe they thought

I had Lang's book.

I knew this whole thing was a bad idea.

You're still okay to fly tonight, right?

For God's sake, Rick, I'm in shock.

Well, here's another shock for you.

For one month's work

on a manuscript that's already written,

Rhinehart Inc. Is willing

to pay you $250,000, plus expenses.

Window seat or aisle?

...Islam has

issued a statement claiming responsibility.

We hope to bring you more on that

later in the bulletin.

Meanwhile, former British Prime Minister

Adam Lang is back in the news tonight.

According to leaked documents,

Mr. Lang authorized

the illegal use of British special forces

to seize four suspected al-Qaeda terrorists

in Pakistan

and then hand them over

for interrogation by the CIA.

The men, Nasir Ashraf, Marwat Sayed,

Salim Khan and Faruk Ahmed,

all British citizens, were seized in the

Pakistani city of Peshawar five years ago.

All four were allegedly transferred

out of the country

to a secret location and tortured.

Mr. Ashraf is reported to have died

under interrogation.

Such an operation

would have been illegal under...

- Yeah?

- Where are you?

Heathrow, like you.

Waiting for my flight to New York.

Can you see the news?

The Lang story? Yeah, I'm watching it now.

What have you gotten me into?

I got you into a quarter of a million bucks,

pal, that's what I got you into.

They're calling my flight. I gotta go.

Listen, I just realized

Sidney Kroll could have given me

that manuscript deliberately

so it would look like

I was carrying Lang's book.

Why the hell would he do that?

I don't know. To use me as a tethered goat?

Get some sleep on the plane.

You're sounding weird.

"A tethered goat."

Rate this script:3.7 / 3 votes