There was a time (the early ’90s) when adapting a John Grisham novel for the big screen was essentially like printing money. The run of “The Firm,” “The Pelican Brief,” “The Client” and “A Time To Kill” arguably marked the high point of those years, while nowadays, NBC is struggling to get anyone to care about their TV take on that Tom Cruise movie. But New Regency, whose honcho Arnon Milchan was behind ‘Kill,’ ‘Client’ and “Runaway Jury,” is going to give it another go with “The Partner.”
“The Blind Side” director John Lee Hancock has been tapped to write and direct the movie, but it still might not be his next project. The helmer has been taking his sweet time choosing something being linked to the electronics drama “Electric Boy Genius” and the Will Smith-produced Hurricane Katrina pic “The American Can” in the past little while. He’s apparently also eyeing “Highwaymen,” a movie about some retired cops who are sent back into action to catch Bonnie and Clyde (that actually sounds pretty cool). If he does that instead, “The Partner” will come after.
Oh yeah, so what is the legal thriller all about? You’ll never guess. It’s about a lawyer who fakes his death and goes on the run, and is headed to sunny Brazil when people begin to unravel his scheme. RUH ROH. We’re sure impassioned speeches and car chases follow. But you know? Those Grisham movies are kind of fun (even the lesser ones) so we’d be up for it. But we’ll have to see just if/when this will happen. [Deadline]