Tom Holland will star in and produce an adaptation of John Grisham’s 1997 bestseller “The Partner,” TheWrap has learned. Oscar-winning “The Imitation Game” writer Graham Moore will pen the script for the Universal project.
Holland will play Patrick Lanigan, a young partner in a prominent Biloxi law firm. But when he learns of a plan by the firm’s partners, in collusion with a wealthy client (a shipbuilding magnate), he constructs a plan of his own. Lanigan steals $90 million from the client, fakes his own death and flees to South America, where he starts a new life. But, as happens in these stories, his past comes back to haunt him and with the client closing in, he gives himself over to the FBI and starts defending himself in multiple cases.
When the book was released in ’97, it was praised for its tight plotting and smart storytelling. It was only Grisham’s eighth novel at the time and every novel before that had been adapted for the screen, with A+ talent in front of and behind the camera — things like “The Firm” (directed by Sydney Pollack, with Tom Cruise), “The Pelican Brief” (directed by Alan J. Pakula, with Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts), “A Time to Kill” (directed by Joel Schumacher, with Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock) and “The Rainmaker” (directed by Francis Ford Coppola, with Matt Damon).
Incredibly, this will be the first Grisham big screen adaptation since 2004’s “Christmas With the Kranks,” based on his goofy novel “Skipping Christmas.” “The Partner” had previously been developed by New Regency for director John Lee Hancock. Rideback then purchased the rights and brought the project to Universal. Holland’s recently formed production company Billy17, which he formed with his brother Harry Holland and Will South, will produce alongside Rideback.
In addition to “The Partner,” Holland recently signed onto Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic poem, “The Odyssey.” He also has a fourth “Spider-Man” movie set to go into production later this year for director Destin Daniel Cretton.
Moore’s first feature as a director was 2022’s nifty thriller “The Outfit.” His latest novel, “The Wealth of Shadows,” a World War II thriller based on a true story, was released last year.
