Murphy opened his eyes upon hearing the bodyguard's reminder and glanced behind him. The traffic was quite dense, and apart from another car carrying other bodyguards, he didn't notice anything unusual.
Gal Gadot also looked back but didn't see the supposed trailing vehicle.
The bodyguard then said, "A black SUV has been following us since we left the studio."
Prompted by the bodyguard, Murphy turned his head again and saw the black Cadillac just to their left rear. It did seem to be following them.
"Another reporter," Gal Gadot muttered, looking back. "These tails are so annoying!"
Murphy noticed a camera mounted on the front passenger seat of the Cadillac. It was definitely a reporter.
"Let's go," Murphy told the bodyguard and the driver. "Ignore them."
Over the years, at least two hundred out of three hundred sixty-five days a year, he and Gal Gadot had tails following them. Murphy was used to the paparazzi's persistent pursuit.
"I'm going to take a nap."
Gal Gadot leaned closer to Murphy, resting her head on his shoulder. "Wake me when we get home."
Murphy knew how busy Gal Gadot was, juggling both her commitments to the film crew and her responsibilities at Stanton Studios. He gently put his arm around her to help her sleep more comfortably.
As for the black Cadillac SUV, Murphy didn't bother with it further. He didn't ask the bodyguard to shake them off either. After all, he was heading home, and the walled and gated estate of Wave Manor would naturally block them out.
The black Cadillac SUV followed smoothly, trailing Murphy's Rolls-Royce Phantom all the way into Beverly Hills. The driver, Daisy, watched coldly from the front, carefully observing Murphy's movements.
But as they reached Wave Manor, she still hadn't seen Murphy get out of the car. The vehicle in front didn't stop at all.
"Cowardly fool!"
As she drove past Wave Manor's gates and saw the two cars turn in, Daisy sneered. "How could I ever admire you?"
When faith is abandoned, it not only ceases to be faith but is often trampled upon.
Exiting the vicinity of Wave Manor, Daisy slowed the car down and eventually pulled over, dismantling the camera used as a disguise on the passenger seat. She intended to take some shots of the surroundings.
Over the past few days, she had been frequenting the Venice studio and Wave Manor in Beverly Hills. As a former hardcore fan of Murphy Stanton, these locations were familiar to her, but getting inside was another story.
Both places had tightened security due to recent harassment by reporters. Wave Manor was particularly impenetrable, and even the Venice studio required proper credentials and an invitation from the crew to enter.
Daisy didn't attempt to break in. She knew Murphy was a significant figure, and her chance to strike would likely be just once. Any premature move would only make future attempts more difficult.
She continuously changed rental cars, surveying the studio and Beverly Hills, today disguising herself as a trailing journalist, following Murphy Stanton to understand his habits and find the right moment to act.
Like before, Daisy understood that a well-planned action was crucial.
Otherwise, the police wouldn't still be clueless, mistakenly thinking the culprit was a man and focusing on the wrong person caught in the cinema. From what she saw on TV, the Los Angeles prosecutor was preparing to indict that person.
This worked to her advantage. Without worrying about the police, she could fully concentrate on Murphy. Observing his patterns and formulating a flawless plan was her priority, aiming for a lethal strike.
Traitors must pay with their lives!
Daisy had resolved to eliminate the man who betrayed her.
Getting out of the car, Daisy took the camera and started filming around Wave Manor. She needed to familiarize herself with everything to formulate her plan.
Planning is the precursor to success in many things, especially in film.
With less than a week before shooting began, Murphy was reviewing every plan previously made, seeking out any shortcomings.
Condensing nearly a year of investigation into a two-hour film was no easy task. Murphy needed to authentically recreate the original scenes.
Having gone through so much historical data, even someone like Murphy couldn't help but admire what Buddy Malone and Robbie Robinson had accomplished.
No one questioned their motives. The case was too grave and devoid of any apparent benefits.
No one believed they could uncover the truth, yet in that seemingly peaceful soil, they ignited a storm. They relied not on superhuman abilities but on archival materials, countless phone callbacks, meetings with victims, and standing firm against vested interests until they found a breakthrough. It was persistence, not unyielding rock, that carried the day.
In his film, Murphy's planned group members were not just journalists but parents and societal figures.
In the West, religion and society are intertwined. People seeking solace in church every weekend must scrutinize the clergy who substitute for the hand of God, resisting and rejecting those who, under the guise of divine authority, commit heinous acts against children.
This stance needed to be firmly established in the film.
The stone cast back then caused immense ripples, making people realize that while they sought the hand of God, they also harbored potential for hypocrisy in their hearts.
Such harsh realities must be faced, and to make the film impactful, it should not only retell the story and honor the journalists but also awaken social responsibility and offer hope amidst the grim revelations.
As he saw the increasing numbers in the documents—from 9 to 13, then 20-plus to 45, and finally from 70 to 90—the growing tally with each investigation was shocking.
With such numbers, people must have known.
Perhaps they did know but chose to hide and remain silent.
Because of Buddy Malone and Robbie Robinson's efforts, people found a way to highlight the darkness in the sacred domain.
This aspect must be unequivocal in the film, even unassailable by the Catholic Church!
While Murphy focused on his new film, CAA's Italian office forwarded him a letter—an autograph from Pope Benedict XVI!
The letter, spanning three pages, essentially implored Murphy to grasp the hand extended by the Vatican and cancel the "Spotlight" project.
"The hand of God?"
Murphy tossed the letter aside after reading it. If it were indeed God's hand, he'd grab it to see what one of the highest beings on Earth looked like. But since it was just His servant's hand, he'd pass...
"Are you really going to reject the hand of God?" Gal Gadot asked.
"Moses stood before the Red Sea and told his people to support each other, to hold hands, and that they would cross the sea and reach the other side."
Murphy grasped Gal Gadot's hand. "For me, the hand of God is right beside me!"
Gal Gadot beamed. "You sure know how to talk."
She wasn't surprised by Murphy's rejection of the Vatican. Given Murphy's usual style, reconciliation would be the anomaly.
These matters soon slipped from Murphy's mind. In the last few days, he didn't stay in Los Angeles but flew to Boston with Robert Downey Jr., James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and Margot Robbie to meet the journalists involved in the original investigation, refining the accuracy and seriousness of every role and scene.
Over the past month, they'd visited Boston several times, talking to lawyers, survivors, family members, former journalists, editors, and publishers to explore different narrative angles and the story of the Boston Globe.
Journalists are notoriously hard to interview. They dislike being the subject of inquiries.
These journalists even published a book about the investigation, though it continued from where the film ended and didn't get a normal release.
This movie was based on hundreds of hours of conversation and vast amounts of authentic material—not just from journalists, but also lawyers, former editors, and publishers, anyone Murphy and Stanton Studios could find.
In a way, it turned into Murphy investigating their investigation.
In many media eyes, Murphy, through this film, became a friend to journalists by showcasing traditional media's ethics and power.
Even Murphy, who loved the internet era and its conveniences, had to admit that traditional media's integrity was a bit higher than internet media—not by much, but at least a bit.
This was especially evident in journalists.
For instance, in "Spotlight," traditional media's in-depth investigation team could spend a year tracking a major event with relatively independent topics...
In the new media era, internet media became too entertainment-focused, making such efforts nearly impossible.
Both new and traditional media had their strengths and weaknesses.
Returning from Boston to Los Angeles, Murphy prepared to begin shooting "Spotlight" in the studio. But before the official filming, he had another event to focus on: the American Television and Film Golden Globe Awards!
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