Grisham’s “The Testament” To Get Movie Adaptation
After turning down offers for 10 years, John Grisham has finally made a movie deal for his 1999 bestselling novel “The Testament.”
In the novel, a billionaire defies his greedy relatives and leaves his $11 billion fortune to a mysterious illegitimate daughter doing charity work in the Brazilian wetlands. A down-and-out lawyer helps her battle her relatives over the fortune.
Producers Mark Johnson and Hunt Lowry are joining with 821 Entertainment Group to adapt Grisham’s book.
Grisham will also have the right to offer creative input on the film, something which he didn’t always have in the past and was one of the reasons why he’s avoided Hollywood until recently.
Johnson says he’s been pushing Grisham and his agent for years for the rights:
“I have been chasing “The Testament” for close to 10 years. The story has always struck me as the perfect blend of personal redemption and good, old-fashioned movie adventure. I cannot wait to get started on this film!”
This project re-teams Grisham with Hunt Lowry, who produced the film adaptation of Grisham’s “A Time To Kill” in 1996.
“I’ve always wanted to work with John again and have been searching for the perfect project to do with Mark, so to have all culminate in the making of “The Testament” is exciting,” said Lowry.
Numerous Grisham thrillers, including “The Firm,” “The Pelican Brief,” “The Rainmaker” and “Runaway Jury” have been turned into movies. Other movies based on his novels and now in production include “Playing for Pizza” and “The Associate.”
William Monahan To Adapt John Grisham’s “The Associate”
William Monahan who wrote script for “The Departed” will adapt John Grisham’s bestselling thriller “The Associate” for Paramount.
The studio acquired rights to the novel late last year. Lorenzo di Bonaventura who is producing and Shia LaBeouf sparked to the notion of doing it together after reading the book in galley form while they were on the set of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”
LaBeouf will play a Yale Law School student with a sordid secret that leaves him vulnerable to blackmail. He’s manipulated into taking a job at a law firm and working on a multibillion-dollar lawsuit.
Monahan, who won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay the Asian film “Infernal Affairs” into Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed,” is preparing to make his directorial debut on his scripted adaptation of the Ken Bruen novel “London Boulevard,” which will star Colin Farrell and Keira Knightley.
William Monahan also wrote “Kingdom of Heaven,” “Body of Lies” and “Edge of Darkness.”
Grisham’s ‘Playing for Pizza’ heading to big screen
Phoenix Pictures has acquired the movie rights to the bestselling book, John Grisham’s 2007 novel ‘Playing for Pizza‘.
The story revolves around a down-and-out American football player who discovers a new lease of life when his agent lands him a deal to play with a semi-professional team in Italy.
Previous Grisham adaptations include The Firm, The Client, The Pelican Brief, The Chamber, A Time To Kill and Runaway Jury.
George Clooney’s Smokehouse production company is currently developing the author’s only non-fiction work The Innocent Man.
