All the Money in the World

All the Money in the World is a 2017 biographical crime thriller film directed by Ridley Scott and written by David Scarpa. Based on John Pearson's 1995 book Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty, it depicts the events surrounding the 1973 kidnapping of John Paul Getty III and the refusal of his grandfather, the multi-billionaire oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, to cooperate with the kidnappers' extortion demands. The film stars Michelle Williams as John Paul Getty III's mother, Christopher Plummer as Getty, and Mark Wahlberg as an adviser of the Getty family. Principal photography began in March 2017 and was completed in August, with the release scheduled for December 8. Kevin Spacey originally played Getty, but sexual misconduct allegations were made against him two months after filming, so Plummer was cast in the role and, one month prior to the rescheduled Christmas release, the 22 scenes featuring Getty were reshot within eight days. It was later reported that Wahlberg was paid $1.5 million for the reshoots, while Williams was only paid $1,000, which sparked a debate on the gender pay gap in Hollywood. The film premiered at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills on December 18, 2017, followed by a United States theatrical release by TriStar Pictures on December 25. It received generally favorable reviews, many of which praised the performances, and grossed $57 million against a $50 million budget. Plummer received particular acclaim, and he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the film. Plot In 1973, 16-year-old John Paul Getty III, grandson of the world's richest private citizen, oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, is kidnapped in Rome, where he lives, by the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-like organized crime group based in Calabria. A ransom of $17 million is demanded, but Paul's mother, Gail Harris, is unable to pay it, as she rejected any alimony in exchange for full custody of her children when she divorced Paul's father, John Paul Getty Jr., in 1971 due to his drug addiction. She travels to Getty's estate in England to beseech him to provide the money, but he refuses, stating that doing so would encourage further kidnappings of his family members, and instead asks Fletcher Chace, a Getty Oil negotiator and former CIA operative, to investigate the case and secure Paul's release. The media quickly picks up on the story, and Gail is constantly hounded by paparazzi.