The USA Network makes way for actor Milo Callaghan (The Strangers: Chapter 1, Now & Then) on their new series The Rainmaker, casting him as an opposite lead to star John Slattery (Spotlight, Mad Men), according to Deadline. The Rainmaker series is adapted from the bestselling novel by John Grisham (The Last Juror, The Innocent Man) by the same name.
According to mxdwn, Grisham’s novel The Rainmaker was previously adapted in 1997 as a film; it was directed by Francis Ford Coppola (Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Godfather) with a critical Rotten Tomatoes score of 81%. However, this newest version of Grisham’s story will be written and executive produced by Michael Seitzman (Intelligence, Code Black) via Deadline.
Deadline revealed that Callaghan will embody the character of Rudy Baylor, an inexperienced law attorney fresh from the safety of law school. Rudy will be thrown into the lion’s den, taking on a medical malpractice case against Slattery’s character, seasoned attorney Leo F. Drummond, that leads to uncovering a shocking conspiracy.
Additionally, Deadline shared the logline for the show, adding that “Rudy Baylor who, fresh out of law school, goes head-to-head with courtroom lion Leo Drummond and his law school girlfriend Sarah Plankmore (Madison Iseman). Rudy, along with his boss and her disheveled paralegal, uncover two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client’s son.”
According to mxdwn, adapting The Rainmaker has been a long process, with Seitzman waiting six years before NBCUniversal stepped in to greenlight its series order. The executive producer of the project, Jason Richman (Bad Company, Detroit 1-8-7), co-wrote the pilot with Seitzman. Grisham, David Gernert (The Innocent Man) and Jason Blum (The Purge, The Visit) are joining as executive producers.
While The Rainmaker is still in early production, Callaghan will soon be seen in the new HBO spin-series to the Dune franchise, Dune: Prophecy, as per Deadline.