Universal Pictures reports that Tom Holland will star in and produce the film The Partner, based on John Grisham’s 1997 courtroom thriller of the same name. The plot centers on a young lawyer who steals $90 million and fakes his own death.
Holland will play Patrick Lanigan, a junior partner at a law company in Biloxi. Lanigan fakes his death in a burning car and then runs away to Brazil with money that he stole from a dishonest client of his company. Someone from his past shows up in his new life. The client, who was ripped off, starts a dogged search for him, which forces Lanigan to face the FBI and his family, which includes his wife and new daughter.
Graham Moore will write the script. Moore won an Oscar for writing “The Imitation Game.” In collaboration with Rideback, Holland’s new production company, Billy17, which he co-founded with his brother Harry Holland and Will South, will create the film.
It took a long time for “The Partner” to get to the big screen. It was previously being worked on at New Regency, with “The Blind Side” director John Lee Hancock in charge. When that idea stopped, Rideback bought the rights before they ended up at Universal.
That’s a lot more for Holland to do with this role. After a year off from work after “The Crowded Room,” the 27-year-old actor is now dedicated to Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” which also stars Zendaya and Matt Damon. In a fourth “Spider-Man” film, he will play the same role again and might also appear in future “Avengers” films.
Many popular movies and TV shows have been based on Grisham’s books, and “The Partner” is the latest. The films “The Firm” (1993), “The Pelican Brief” (1993), and “A Time to Kill” (1996), starring Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock, are also noteworthy.
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Universal Pictures hasn’t said anything about Holland’s role, and a production schedule is unavailable.
