On the land of so-called freedom, the Catholic Church has little means to deal with Murphy. The best approach is to continue attacking Murphy and his films in the media, just as Murphy incited 20th Century Fox's media to smear the Catholic Church. A war of words might be the best manifestation of freedom of speech.
This isn't heaven or hell, and like most countries worldwide, America has its beautiful and dirty sides. However, one thing even Murphy has to admit is that freedom of speech is deeply ingrained in people's hearts.
For instance, Hollywood's liberal folks can unabashedly criticize the President in the White House. Meryl Streep once angrily denounced newly elected President Donald Trump during her Golden Globe acceptance speech, and Trump could only retaliate on social media without taking any real action against her.
Although Murphy was used to seeing the media being overly cautious, he had long adapted to using the banner of freedom of speech to carry out personal agendas.
The choice to make "Spotlight" is a highly purposeful project.
Some of Archbishop Marques Costello's words were not wrong. Murphy's goal was indeed to target the Catholic Church and leverage the situation to aim for the Oscars.
As for the goodwill from the Vatican and Pope Benedict XVI, Murphy was flattered but found it hard to accept.
In the 1990s, Murphy might have gladly accepted and made a grand visit to the Vatican, possibly even earning an honorary citizenship—if such a title existed.
But now, forget it.
The social environment continually evolves.
Refusing the Vatican's and Pope Benedict XVI's offer of reconciliation is easy to understand in Murphy's mindset. In the language commonly used to describe villains across the Pacific, it's driven by greed and desperation.
However, Murphy didn't think he was taking any risks. After all, similar things have been done before.
In the peculiar land of America, the Catholic Church indeed had no way to handle Murphy, let alone force him to cancel "Spotlight." But their influence in Italy is substantial, and they won't be satisfied with Murphy and 20th Century Fox premiering "Spotlight" near their doorstep.
After applying for the main competition unit at the Venice Film Festival, Murphy and 20th Century Fox received no response for a long time.
Under normal circumstances, given Murphy's fame and influence and the highly topical subject matter, they should have been welcomed by the Venice Film Festival, which is undergoing market-oriented reforms. The lack of response for over a month indicated possible external interference.
However, 20th Century Fox continued their efforts, considering Cannes as an alternative if necessary.
But the Cannes Film Festival is in May. Although applications are still open, it would force Murphy to rush the preparation and filming.
Thus, Venice remained the top choice.
In mid-December, Murphy's film crew was officially established, with all main actors coming from the Stanton party and the behind-the-scenes team being his usual collaborators. Given the film's relatively simple structure, he planned a two-month preparation period and about forty days of shooting.
As soon as the crew was formed, Murphy sent Gal Gadot and Michelle Williams to Boston to scout and arrange locations. Most exterior shots would be filmed in Boston, while interior scenes would be shot on sets in a warehouse studio on the outskirts of Venice.
For this film, the actors' performances were crucial. Murphy had long notified Robert Downey Jr., James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and Margot Robbie. After reading the script, they confirmed their roles and had been preparing for a long time, even flying to Boston to meet their real-life counterparts multiple times.
In terms of roles, Seth Rogen would play Boston Globe editor Marty Baron, Robert Downey Jr. would play Robby Robinson, Jonah Hill would play Mike Rezendes, James Franco would play lawyer Mitchell Garabedian, and the sole major female role, Sacha Pfeiffer, would naturally be played by Margot Robbie.
With their abilities, there was no doubt they could handle these roles. The only issue was their appearance; apart from Seth Rogen and Margot Robbie, the others looked quite different from their real-life counterparts at the time.
This wasn't a big problem in Hollywood. Hairstyles could be changed, faces could be made up, and body shapes could be adjusted. Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen had lost nearly thirty pounds of fat over the past month to better fit their roles.
The rest of the cast would be selected through auditions within twenty days, as announced by the crew through the Actors' Guild and social platforms.
Additionally, Murphy had several meetings with Josh Griffiths, Helena Espola, David Robey, and Philip Lasher to finalize technical details.
For instance, the film would continue Murphy's usual style, with a predominant cyan-black tone. Helena Espola's set designs and David Robey's lighting would complement this.
In terms of cinematography, Murphy didn't plan to use many techniques. Like a storyteller objectively recounting events, he would use plain and unremarkable shots to unfold the film.
To achieve this seemingly ordinary but special requirement, Murphy decided to use film again, which could create a unique texture from the early 20th century. Thirty-five-millimeter film would also give the film a nostalgic touch.
Nostalgia is quite important for a film aimed at the Oscars.
Murphy and Carla Fis agreed on a distribution strategy: "Spotlight" would aim for its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. If reception and feedback were positive, they would then head to the Toronto Film Festival to build momentum before a limited North American release in November to gear up for the next awards season.
Regarding the Catholic Church, there was no need to worry about North America. The main trouble was in Europe, their stronghold.
But it's no longer the last century. If overseas distributors saw profit potential in "Spotlight," they would certainly bring it in, even if the Catholic Church tried to block it.
Murphy clearly remembered that the original "Spotlight" had appeared in theaters in most countries and regions worldwide.
In the remaining days of December, Murphy was busy overseeing the crew's preparation at the Venice warehouse studio. He frequently flew to Boston to finalize exterior locations with Gal Gadot, while also having discussions with Robert Downey Jr. and James Franco about their roles.
There were several challenges, given that the Catholic Church was the largest denomination in Boston. They tried to hinder the crew, forbidding them from filming in any church or religious facility they controlled.
Fortunately, Murphy had anticipated this. There were very few church scenes in the film, and sets could solve this problem.
Most exterior locations were finalized before Christmas, thanks to Robby Robinson and the Boston Globe. Gal Gadot also signed formal shooting agreements on behalf of the crew.
In just over ten days, Murphy and Gal Gadot flew to Boston three times. Having their own business jet made travel convenient, greatly improving the crew's efficiency.
Before Christmas, Murphy gave the crew a two-day holiday. He and Gal Gadot stayed home, planning to rest during the limited time.
The number of reporters outside Wave Manor had decreased, but the media war between Hollywood's interests and the Catholic Church continued. Both sides were trying to undermine each other.
However, insiders could see that the Catholic Church's plan to interfere in Hollywood was doomed.
Many believed Murphy was the key figure. Announcing a film like "Spotlight" at the height of the conflict, a combination of a super director and a sensitive topic, allowed Hollywood to outshine the Catholic Church.
Many in Hollywood, especially the stakeholders, appreciated Murphy's actions.
Even the Academy's current president, Howard Koch, and some other veterans praised Murphy and his film.
These were Murphy's assets in this awards season, especially against "12 Years a Slave."
In the past few days, under Murphy and Carla Fis's direction, some 20th Century Fox media outlets dug up Woody Allen and Soon-Yi's scandal to undermine "Blue Jasmine" and Cate Blanchett.
But they couldn't target "12 Years a Slave." Murphy disliked how sensitive the topic of race was.
However, Leonardo DiCaprio wasn't off-limits. For the Best Actor award and past grievances, Murphy wouldn't let him go.
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