I really like The Good Shepherd. The film, directed by Robert DeNiro from am Eric Roth script, was a cold, detached, clinical look at the earliest days of the CIA - it wasn't bang bang spy stuff but rather a lot of stuffy, secretive, closed-off Ivy League old boys deciding the fate of the free world. It felt so real to me, but I understand how such an understated film failed to catch on.
The movie only took on a portion of the Agency's history, and there were plans to do sequels bringing the story to the modern day, or at least 9/11. But the 2006 film never quite got the sequel it deserved, and my dreams of a Good Shepherd trilogy were dashed.
Now things are looking up: DeNiro and Roth are getting back together to shoot the pilot for a Good Shepherd TV series that would run on Showtime. The channel has found success with its modern day spy show Homeland, so it makes sense that they'd try to replicate that in the Mad Men era. DeNiro will direct the pilot, with Roth writing and executive producing. I don't know if they're adapting the first film and giving it some breathing room or if they're picking up where the movie left off, in the post-Bay of Pigs era, but either way I'll be watching.
I urge you to check out The Good Shepherd. It's not a great film or anything, but it's one of the more underrated movies of recent years. The pace of it feels perfectly suited for longform TV.
About the Author: A ten year veteran of writing for the web, Devin has built a reputation as a loud, uncompromising and honest voice – sometimes to the chagrin of his readers, but usually to their delight.
