John Slattery Joins USA Network’s John Grisham Adaptation with Jon Voight

USA Network has announced the first casting for its upcoming TV adaptation of The Rainmaker. John Slattery, best known for his role in Mad Men, has been cast as a series regular in the drama based on the bestselling John Grisham novel, according to TVLine.

The actor will take on the role of Leo F. Drummond, one of Grisham’s most iconic characters. Drummond is described as a “legendary lion of the courtroom” and a senior partner at Tinley Britt, the powerful firm that protagonist Rudy Baylor is up against.

In The Rainmaker, Rudy Baylor, fresh out of law school, faces off with courtroom lion Leo Drummond and deals with complications involving his law school girlfriend. Throughout the series, Rudy, his boss, and a disheveled paralegal uncover two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client’s son.

The Rainmaker was previously adapted into a film in 1997, written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film starred Matt Damon as Rudy, Danny DeVito as paralegal Deck, and Mickey Rourke as Rudy’s boss, J. Lyman “Bruiser” Stone. Jon Voight took on the role of Leo F. Drummond, with Mary Kay Place playing Margarine “Dot” Black, Rudy’s client. The movie also featured Claire Danes, Virginia Madsen, and Danny Glover.

Michael Seitzman (Code Black) and Jason Richman (Stumptown) co-wrote the series’ pilot. The project received a series order in June and both Seitzman and Richman will serve as executive producers alongside John Grisham, David Gernert, and Jason Blum.

Source: TVLine