Read the Screenplay of ‘Black Bag’: A New Spy Drama from Steven Soderbergh and David Koepp
The plot of the film centers on George Woodhouse, portrayed by Michael Fassbender, and his wife Kathryn St. Jean, played by two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett. Both are high-level operatives at the UK’s National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) and share a deep, passionate love. However, their relationship is tested when a mole within the NCSC is discovered, threatening to unleash a catastrophic cyber worm attack. George is tasked with identifying the mole from a list of five suspects, which includes his beloved Kathryn.
Black Bag, released by Focus Features in March, has grossed $43.9 million at the global box office. The film boasts an A-list cast that includes Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris, Tom Burke, and Pierce Brosnan.
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Screenwriter David Koepp, known for his work on films like Jurassic Park, Carlito’s Way, War of the Worlds, The Paper, and the Tobey Maguire version of Spider-Man, conceived the idea for Black Bag during research for another project involving spies. This research was part of his work for the first Mission: Impossible film directed by Brian De Palma and starring Tom Cruise.
“All the spycraft stuff was very cool, but I learned more than I ever expected about the people,” Koepp said. “One woman told me that her job made it impossible for her to sustain a relationship. A line in the movie was inspired by my conversations with her. ‘When you can lie about everything, how do you tell the truth about anything?’”
Koepp continued, “Think about it. If you want to have an affair, it couldn’t be easier. You just say, ‘I’ll be gone for three days and you can’t ask me where I’m going because you don’t have clearance.’ You can’t trust people and people can’t trust you. For George and Kathryn, the confidential information they can’t share goes into what they call their ‘black bag.’”
Director Steven Soderbergh was captivated by Koepp’s concept, recognizing the potential for a star-driven drama resembling the Ocean’s films. While developing the script, the story’s setting was shifted from the United States to the UK, specifically the NCSC, where intelligence is sourced from technology rather than human operatives.
“It just felt like a fresher location for this story, if only because there seem to be so many series and movies set in the American intelligence world,” Soderbergh explained. “London is a city I find very cinematic. David agreed to that.”
Read the screenplay below:
