We have to admit, we’re enormously intrigued by “House of Cards.” A remake of the popular BBC series from the 1990s, itself based on a series of books by political insider Michael Dobbs, it marks the reunion of David Fincher, one of the biggest directors around, and Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey, for the first time since “Se7en,” and on a TV series, no less. More importantly, it has the potential to be a real game-changer, being the first original series commissioned by streaming giants Netflix, who will air the show exclusively, having committed $100 million to the show, and scheduling it for an unprecedented 26-episode, two season run straight off the bat.
An impressive array of behind the scenes talent is working on the project, including “The Insider” scribe Eric Roth and “The Ides of March” writer Beau Willimon, who penned different drafts of the pilot, and are executive producing, and “The Social Network” producer Dana Brunetti, and now the first cast member looks close to joining Spacey, as The Hollywood Reporter brings news that Robin Wright, who’s just worked with Fincher on “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo,” is in talks to play the female lead in the project, marking her first regular TV role since her breakout on the soap “Santa Barbara” in the 1980s.
There’s no exact word on who Wright will play, but our best guess is that she’ll take the role equivalent to Mattie Storin, played in the original series by Susannah Harker, a political reporter who begins an affair with Francis Urquhart, the Machiavellian politician that Spacey will take over from Ian Richardson, although it’s possible that she could also end up playing Urquhart’s wife Elizabeth.
Wright, who’ll next be seen alongside Brad Pitt in “Moneyball,” is a wonderful actress, although she’s rarely gotten the acclaim she deserves for fine performances in underrated films like “Breaking and Entering” and “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee,” so we’re glad that she’s getting such a high-profile part here. The only downside is that the show’s still a way off; with Fincher still wrapping up ‘Dragon Tattoo,’ and Spacey about to start a lengthy stage run in Sam Mendes‘ production of “Richard III” (a character who directly inspires Urquhart), filming won’t begin until Spring 2012, with Netflix likely to stream the show towards the end of that year.