The Good Shepherd: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Scripts Series)

The official book tie-in to the new movie by the screenwriter of Forrest Gump and Munich—the untold story of the birth of the CIA—an epic drama, directed by Robert De Niro, starring Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Alec Baldwin, Billy Crudup, William Hurt, Joe Pesci, John Turturro, and Robert De Niro.

Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) understands the value of secrecy—discretion and commitment to honor have been embedded in him since childhood. As an eager, optimistic student at Yale, he is recruited to join the secret society Skull and Bones, a brotherhood and breeding ground for future world leaders.

Wilson's acute mind, spotless reputation, and sincere belief in American values render him a prime candidate for a career in intelligence, and he is soon recruited to work for the OSS (the precursor to the CIA) during World War II.

As one of the covert founders of the CIA, working in the heart of an organization where duplicity is required and nothing is taken at face value, Wilson's idealism is steadily eroded by a growing suspicious nature, reflective of a world settling in to the long paranoia of the Cold War.

As his methods are adopted as standard operating procedure, Wilson develops into one of the Agency's veteran operatives, all the while combating his KGB counterpart. However, his steely dedication to his country comes at an ever-increasing price. Not even his wife, Clover (Angelina Jolie), or his beloved son can divert Wilson from a path that will force him to sacrifice everything in pursuit of this job.

The Newmarket Shooting Script® book includes the screenplay, a Q&A with Eric Roth, production notes, 23 color photographs, and the complete cast and crew credits.