John Grisham's upcoming television adaptation The Rainmaker made a new series regular in the same role that Claire Danes once played. Based on Grisham's 1995 novel of the same name, the USA Network television adaptation will follow the 1997 film directed by veteran director Francis Ford Coppola. With an all-star cast including Matt Damon, Jon Voight, Mickey Rourke and Danny DeVito, the original film is about a young law school graduate who finds himself drawn into a courtroom battle far beyond his meager experience.
Per Deadline, The Rainmaker there is a television adaptation casting Bodkin Robin Cara stars as The Danes' ex Kelly Ricker. Previous casting announcements include Milo Callaghan (Doctor Who, Strangers) Like Rudy Baylor, the role played by Damon before Crazy people and MCU star John Slattery is set to tackle the role of Voight's seasoned defense attorney Leo Drummond. Other cast members include Madison Iseman (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Lana Parrilla (Once upon a time) and PJ Byrne (He founded Wall Street).
How Will the Show That Makes Rain Compare to the Movie?
The cast of the show is already showing many different shots
Despite boasting an impressive cast backed by the instant name recognition of both Coppola and Grisham, The Rainmaker the film was a box office disappointment for Paramount Pictures. Grossing just $45.9 million against an original budget of $45 million, the film's commercial response was far from the big box office success enjoyed by other films such as John Grisham. Company and Pelican shorts. Whether USA Network's new TV adaptation fares better remains to be seen, though its casting announcements already hint at a few key differences.
Dane's role as a battered wife in the original film Kelly Riker eventually serves as the main love interest for Damon's character. The pair have a mixed relationship that reaches a satisfying development by the end The Rainmakerand one would expect that to continue in the show. However, this dynamic will be complicated by the show's addition of Sarah Plankmore (Iseman), Rudy's former law school sweetheart. Although he was a main character in Grisham's original book, Coppola chose to leave him out of the film entirely.
It's unclear whether these changes will help or hinder USA Network's new TV adaptation, though the project already differs significantly from its big-screen predecessor.
Another interesting departure point is Parrilla's portrayal of Jocelyn “Bruiser” Stone, Rudy's boss. A humble “ambulance chaser” previously performed by Rourke, The Rainmaker The TV series will instead see Parrilla head up the strip mall-based law firm founded by his once-disgraced father. It's unclear whether these changes will help or hinder USA Network's new TV adaptation, though the project is already significantly different from its big-screen predecessor.
Source: Deadline