The Night Manager Page #4

Bloody hell. There are enough toys

here to start a war.

TNM Ep1 PRE-SHOOTING SCRIPT 15-3-15 1717.

PINE:

Or crush a popular uprising.

They look at the Arab Spring in full flow on the TV.

OGILVEY:

Where did you get this?

PINE:

I found it.

He stares at him. Blank face.

OGILVEY:

You found it.

PINE:

Yes.

He smiles knowingly.

PINE (CONT’D)

Say they arrived by post. Don’t

mention me. Anonymous sender.

OGILVEY:

(reading from the lists)

Jesus... Jonathan, there’s bloody

napalm in here.

PINE:

And send it today. These people are

in a hurry.

He underlines the phrase. “For immediate use”. OGILVEY stares

at him.

19 OMITTED 19

20 EXT. LONDON. IEA OFFICES. DAY. 20

A rainy freezing February day in London. The kind of day that

makes you want to emigrate.

A gloved GOVERNMENT COURIER walks along the bustling chaos of

Victoria Street, pauses to look in the window of a camera

shop which is announcing immediate entrance into

administration, then stops between two shops and walks up to

a small blue door. 47a. Three buzzers. The first buzzer is

Clean2AShine, the second titled Medsunshine Tours, the top

buzzer is simply titled I.E.A.

That’s the button he presses.

A pause. A voice. Fuzzy. Female.

TNM Ep1 PRE-SHOOTING SCRIPT 15-3-15 1818.

BURR (ON ENTRYPHONE)

Three flights up. Lift’s broken but

it keeps you fit.

The COURIER is buzzed in.

20a INT. IEA OFFICES. DAY. CONT. 20a

ANGELA BURR, forty years old, is opening the envelope that

has been left by the courier. On top of the envelope two

initials. RM.

BURR smiles. She has on two jumpers as the heating in the

office is on the blink and is eating a biscuit. She talks to

the envelope.

BURR:

On my side after all aren’t you,

Rex you old bastard.

ROBERT ROOK, Asian, 35 years old, brainy and bookish, is

bashing a radiator to try to make it work.

ROOK:

They were supposed to come

yesterday to fix this.

He looks across the office. BURR pulls out the arms lists

photocopied by Pine. Ironlast Minerals and Ores etc.

ROOK (CONT’D)

Angela? What is it?

BURR:

Rex Mayhew just sent this. Came in

from Cairo station. Anonymous

sender.

She hands him the papers. Pause. BURR stares at ROOK.

ROOK:

Ironlast.

ROOK knows the name like a curse.

BURR:

Yeah. He’s back.

Beat.

BURR (CONT’D)

I need all the files you can get on

Richard Roper. Defence, FCO, Bank

of England, HMRC, Treasury. And

we’ll need the River files too.

GCHQ, the lot.

TNM Ep1 PRE-SHOOTING SCRIPT 15-3-15 1919.

ROOK:

Red flags will fly.

BURR:

Bury the requests in a whole pile

of slurry. Do an apparently random

sweep of all Brits living offshore,

make it look like we’re a

bunch of amateurs searching for a

needle in a haystack. Think you can

do that?

ROOK:

Yes. I can do that.

BURR stares at the Cairo list of arms. There is a strange

emotion in her, something from the past. Meanwhile ROOK is on

te phone.

ROOK (CONT’D)

Pearl is that you? Listen we’re

going to need a few metal trolleys

in here. We’re going to be upping

the volume. And it might be wise to

pop out and buy a microwave.

21 INT. CAIRO. NEFERTITI HOTEL. FOYER. NIGHT 21

JONATHAN PINE is at his desk. The night is warm. On the TV a

debate is in full glorious flow about the future of this

newly liberated country.

Outside on the street a few STUDENTS pass, celebrating with

placards and banners.

His phone on the switchboard rings.

PINE:

Good evening Miss Alekan.

SOPHIE:

I’d like you to bring a scotch and

soda to my room please.

JONATHAN:

I can ask room service. Or there

should be a minibar just under the

main wardrobe.

SOPHIE:

I’ve been here over a year Mr Pine,

I know where the minibar is. I want

you.

The phone hangs up.

TNM Ep1 PRE-SHOOTING SCRIPT 15-3-15 2020.

22 INT. CAIRO. NEFERTITI HOTEL. CORRIDOR. NIGHT. 22

JONATHAN PINE walks up the stairs carrying a beautifully made

Scotch and Soda.

He walks along the top floor hotel corridor, full of gaudy

luxury.

He reaches her door.

It is open.

He knocks. Nothing. He knocks again and walks in.

23 INT. CAIRO. NEFERTITI HOTEL. HATSHEPSUT SUITE. NIGHT. 23

PINE:

Excuse me. Your scotch and soda.

He walks into a themed penthouse suite of Egyptian desert

temples. The Pekinese dog sits on the floor looking up at

SOPHIE ALEKAN. She is sitting on the bed, her back to PINE,

her face staring away from him so he can’t see it. She wears

a light dressing gown. Is this a seduction?

He pauses.

PINE (CONT’D)

Where would madam like me to leave

her drink?

SOPHIE:

Who did you show the papers to?

PINE pauses.

SOPHIE (CONT’D)

Please just tell me. I would

understand. I just want to know.

Beat.

SOPHIE (CONT’D)

Freddie Hamid was just here.

PINE:

I didn’t see him in the foyer.

SOPHIE:

He uses the car-park lift, like the

good married Muslim he is. He said

he had just spoken to the man from

Ironlast.

PINE:

Which man?

TNM Ep1 PRE-SHOOTING SCRIPT 15-3-15 2121.

SOPHIE:

Oh come Mr Pine. You’re cleverer

than that. Richard Roper. The worst

man in the world.

Beat.

SOPHIE (CONT’D)

Roper told Freddie that their deal

was off. Apparently Roper had been

warned.

PINE:

Who by?

SOPHIE:

You tell me Mr Pine.

She turns. And PINE goes appallingly, terribly pale.

SOPHIE’s face, or one side of it, is horribly beaten.

Bruised, bleeding, her eyes dark and yellow, her lip and

cheek cut.

PINE does not move towards her, holds his distance. The drink

in his hand remains perfectly still.

24-26 OMITTED 24-26

27 INT. CAIRO. NEFERTITI HOTEL. RECEPTION. NIGHT. 27

It’s late at night, no one around. PINE walks into the

reception, to his desk, looks around, slips another hotel

room key off the hook. Room 206.

He walks fast to the lift.

28 INT. CAIRO. NEFERTITI HOTEL. CORRIDOR. NIGHT. 28

PINE walks SOPHIE fast along the hotel corridor to Room 206.

PINE:

I’ve left your dog with the

concierge, she’ll be fine. The

room’s empty. Keep the light off.

Call no one.

She opens the door. He takes her arm.

PINE (CONT’D)

Listen. I had no idea this would

happen...

TNM Ep1 PRE-SHOOTING SCRIPT 15-3-15 2222.

SOPHIE:

Don’t apologise. You were right to

do what you did. If I’d been brave

enough I would have done it myself.

But Freddie has a temper as you can

see. And he may come back.

PINE:

Don’t worry. We’ll take care of

you.

SOPHIE:

Would that be you and the Queen Mr

Pine?

PINE stares at her. Puts the key in her hand. She opens the

door, enters, does not turn on the light.

29 INT. CAIRO. NEFERTITI HOTEL. FOYER. NIGHT. 29

PINE:

Ogilvey. It’s Jonathan Pine. Call

me, it’s urgent.

He hangs up. Then he sees him. FREDDIE HAMID is running down

the stairs into reception. Twenty six, sunglasses dangling

from his crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled, gold watch, gold

rings.

PINE straightens as HAMID approaches him.

HAMID:

Hey you. I have a friend in the

Hatshepsut suite, she’s not

answering. Can you try the room.

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