Summary
John Grisham’s novelThe Rainmakeris becoming a TV show, after previously being adapted into the 1997 film starringMatt Damon. Grisham was the hottest writer in Hollywood in the 1990s, when adaptations of his legal thrillersThe Pelican Brief,The Firm,The ClientandA Time to Killall went on to be hit movies. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola,The Rainmakerwas a late film in the Grisham cycle, and proved to be a box office disappointment, grossing just $45.9 million on a budget of $40 million.
Now over 30 years after the novel was first adapted into an under-performing film,The Rainmakerwill serve as the basis for a new legal drama series from USA Networks, with Grisham and Jason Blum on-board as executive producers. Michael Seitzman (North Country) co-wrote the show’s pilot along with Jason Richman (The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon), and will now pen the series. The show’s synopsis reads as follows (viaVariety):
“Fresh out of law school, Rudy Baylor goes head-to-head with courtroom lion Leo Drummond as well as his law school girlfriend. Rudy, along with his boss and her disheveled paralegal, uncover two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client’s son.”
How The Rainmaker Show Can Outdo The 1997 Movie
Though Coppola’sRainmakeradaptation was a flop at the box office, it did do well with critics, as reflected in its 82% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film indeed had all the earmarks of a sure-fire hit, featuring as it did an acclaimed director, a strong cast headed up by newly-minted star Damon, and the then-bankableGrishamstamp. Despite everythingThe Rainmakerhad going for it, the movie failed to generate the box office buzz Paramount was hoping for.
It will be difficult for USA’sRainmakershow to impress critics as much as the 1997 movie, which boasted heavyweight talent both in front of and behind the camera. At the same time, the factors that held back the movie’s box office are no longer in play as the novel makes its way to the small screen. Grisham fatigue had arguably set in by 1997, hurting the movie’s box office prospects, but that is no longer a problem. Coppola’s brand had also lost some shine when the movie came out, thanks to the director’s critically-bashed 1996 movieJack.
Starring Robin Williams, Coppola’sJackwas crushed by critics, as reflected in its 17% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but was a modest box office succes with $78 million grossed on a budget of $45 million.
TheRainmakershow may not have the same level of talent behind it as the movie, but it also doesn’t have big expectations to contend with, nor will it have to overcome such factors as Coppola’s sagging late-90s reputation, or Grisham market over-saturation. As a TV series, the show can go deeper into character than the movie could, and give more nuance to Grisham’s story. The legal drama genre is still a good bet on TV, and given its source material,The Rainmakerhas a solid chance to be a hit for USA, outdoing the movie in terms of popularity.
