Zac Efron is John Grisham's Associate

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=50944

Source: Variety
December 2, 2008


Paramount Pictures has set Shia LaBeouf to play the title role in the big screen version of John Grisham's upcoming legal thriller "The Associate," which the studio has just acquired rights to. Lorenzo di Bonaventura is producing.

Variety says LaBeouf will play a student who's about to graduate from Yale Law School when he's manipulated into accepting a job at a prestige law firm and given privileged information about a multibillion-dollar lawsuit.

The novel, Grisham's first legal thriller since 2005's "The Broker," will be published in January by Random House.

Paramount-based Di Bonaventura, who as an executive worked on the Grisham films A Time to Kill and The Client, received the book in the Middle East, where he and LaBeouf were shooting Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. There, they agreed to do it together.

Another good role for Shia, following the Tom Cruise movie choice path heh.

 

[Dark Donnie]

Shia LaBeouf to star in 'Associate'
Paramount nabs rights to new Grisham thriller
By MICHAEL FLEMING

Paramount Pictures has set Shia LaBeouf to play the title role in the bigscreen version of John Grisham's upcoming legal thriller "The Associate," which the studio has just acquired rights to.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura is producing.

LaBeouf will play a student who's about to graduate from Yale Law School when he's manipulated into accepting a job at a prestige law firm and given privileged information about a multibillion-dollar lawsuit.

The novel, Grisham's first legal thriller since 2005's "The Broker," will be published in January by Random House.

Grisham's longtime rep, David Gernert, shopped the book by giving it to four producers. While some felt that lessened the book's chances to find a suitor in a tight marketplace, the strategy worked.

Par-based Di Bonaventura, who as an exec worked on the Grisham films "A Time to Kill" and "The Client," received the book in the Middle East, where he and LaBeouf were shooting "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." There, they agreed to do it together.

Deal gives Paramount another LaBeouf vehicle to follow the "Transformers" films, on which the studio partners with DreamWorks. He last starred for the studio in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117996646.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

 

[Dark Donnie]

Literally made the thread a minute later

 

[Hunter Rider]

I merged the 2 lol. t:

 

[Dark Donnie]

haha...thank you. Sounds like a real interesting project...like you said similar path to Cruise in Th Firm, and Damon in The Rainmaker

 

[Hunter Rider]

haha...thank you. Sounds like a real interesting project...like you said similar path to Cruise in Th Firm, and Damon in The Rainmaker

It's gonna be interesting to see who comes on board as director for this one, it's been a while since a Grisham book has been made into a movie, I think 'Runaway Jury' was the last one.

 

[Dark Donnie]

It's gonna be interesting to see who comes on board as director for this one, it's been a while since a Grisham book has been made into a movie, I think 'Runaway Jury' was the last one.

I believe your right about Runaway Jury....do you think this is next on his plate, or Dark Fields, or Y: The Last Man?

Edit- I just saw the article at /Film and apparently Christmas with the Kranks is based off a Grisham book.

 

[Hunter Rider]

I believe your right about Runaway Jury....do you think this is next on his plate, or Dark Fields, or Y: The Last Man?

Edit- I just saw the article at /Film and apparently Christmas with the Kranks is based off a Grisham book.

Hmmmmmmmm, I think Dark Fields will be first, then 'The Associate', Y is gonna take longer IMO.

Haha! I didn't know that, what next, a Tom Clancy book about the Easter Bunny ?

 

[I Am The Knight]

Runaway Jury

 

[Watson]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=50944


Another good role for Shia, following the Tom Cruise movie choice path heh.

Let's hope Shia sticks to the movie path and not the life path of Cruise.

 

[Cinemaman]

Let's hope Shia sticks to the movie path and not the life path of Cruise.

You mean the career path?

 

[Watson]

You mean the career path?

LOL yes. I was using Hunter's word choice t:

 

[I Am The Knight]

Once you work with Spielberg, you can never go back.

 

[Cinemaman]

Once you work with Spielberg, you can never go back.

That's true, almost every kid who once worked with him becomes the star.

 

[Cinemaman]

LOL yes. I was using Hunter's word choice t:

It happens

 

[Hunter Rider]

LOL yes. I was using Hunter's word choice t:

Well career path and movie choices are not exactly the same, I was using Cruise due to the Firm link.

 

[Cinemaman]

Well career path and movie choices are not exactly the same, I was using Cruise due to the Firm link.

And that was one of his best films, I still love it.

 

[Drizzle]

For a second, I thought the thread's title was "Shia LaBeouf to star in The Assh*le".

 

[StorminNorman]

I am glad to see Grisham is really broadening his horizons.

 

[Raiden]

I wonder if they will let Shia improvise on the set and use his classic "Nononono" line.

 

[Doctor Jones]

This strangely sounds like The Firm.

 

[Drizzle]

i am glad to see grisham is really broadening his horizons.

lol

 

[I Am The Knight]

This strangely sounds like The Firm.

It's a reimagining of The Firm.

 

[Doctor Jones]

It's a reimagining of The Firm.

A reimagining?

Grisham needs to come up with more original stuff than court room thrillers. How may times have we seen those?

 

[Octoberist]

man, i was just bored by reading the synopsis.