Screenwriter Beau Willimon, the creative force behind Netflix's House of Cards, a revolutionary show that has transformed Netflix into a TV network, talks about his groundbreaking work as creator and showrunner of the series and gives tips for writers who want to follow in his footsteps
by W. H. Bourne
“About three and a half years ago, I got a call from my agent saying David Fincher wanted to speak with me about House of Cards,” says writer and executive producer Beau Willimon. “I had heard of the BBC mini series, but I never watched it so I figured it was a pretty good excuse to take a look at it. As I watched it, I immediately fell in love with it, and I had numerous ideas about how to make it look contemporary, American and, most importantly, make it our own. I got on the phone with Fincher, and we talked about all sorts of ideas and our instincts aligned so we decided to team up and get to work. After that I spent almost a year working on the first episode, and when we had something that we were all pleased with, we got Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright on board. Then we went out and found a home for it which happened to be Netflix.”House of Cards has been a game changer for Netflix as well as a key influence on how original Internet programming is viewed. House of Cards is currently nominated for nine Primetime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Drama Series. In light of this, it’s fascinating to hear how the project came about. MORE...
