So, we’ve had Ridley Scott‘s version of the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III in “All The Money In The World,” and it wasn’t exactly the true story account. As the film’s own credits note, there were some things changed or added for the sake of cinematic excitement. Whether or not Danny Boyle‘s TV series take will hew closer to the facts remains to be seen, but the lengthier narrative means that he can dive into the knottier complexities of these characters.
“The great mystery is what is lacking in them,” screenwriter Simon Beaufoy told reporters at the Television Critics Association winter press tour (via Variety). “They try to fill the big, huge hole in each of their souls with money or sex or drugs. There is passed down this lack of empathy — this complete lack of understanding of human emotion.”
Donald Sutherland takes the patriarch role here that Christopher Plummer tackled in the film, in the story of business titan who is unmoved by ransom demands after his son is kidnapped. This leads to the child’s mother taking matters into her own hands to try and save his life. Here’s the official synopsis:
Inspired by actual events, Trust delves into the trials and triumphs of one of America’s wealthiest and unhappiest families, the Gettys. Equal parts family history, dynastic saga and an examination of the corrosive power of money, Trust explores the complexities at the heart of every family, rich or poor.
Told over multiple seasons and spanning the twentieth century, the series begins in 1973 with the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III (Harris Dickinson), an heir to the Getty oil fortune, by the Italian mafia in Rome. His captors banked on a multi-million-dollar ransom. After all, what rich family wouldn’t pay for the return of a loved one? Paul’s grandfather, J. Paul Getty Sr. (Donald Sutherland), an enigmatic oil tycoon and possibly the richest man in the world, is marooned in a Tudor mansion in the English countryside surrounded by a harem of mistresses and a pet lion. He’s busy. Paul’s father, J. Paul Getty Jr. (Michael Esper), is lost in a daze in London and refuses to answer the phone. Only Paul’s mother, Gail Getty (Hilary Swank), is left to negotiate with the increasingly desperate kidnappers. Unfortunately, she’s broke. Trust charts the teenage grandson’s nightmare ordeal at the hands of kidnappers who cannot understand why nobody seems to want their captive back.
“Trust” launches on FX on March 25th.