Emmy award-winning director Jason Bateman and actor Tom Holland are teaming up to bring John Grisham’s 1997 legal thriller “The Partner” to the big screen, as per reports from US media sources. The film will be produced by Bateman’s production company, Aggregate Films, with Michael Costigan also involved in the project. Holland is set to both produce and take on the role of Patrick Lanigan, a young attorney working at a law firm in Biloxi who orchestrates his own demise in a fiery car accident.
After faking his death, Lanigan vanishes with $90 million embezzled from his firm’s clients, leaving behind a family and a detailed scheme. He starts a new life in South America, where he finds love and freedom. However, his past catches up with him when the firm’s client uncovers the missing funds and initiates a relentless pursuit of the lawyer they refuse to believe is deceased.
Forced to reappear, Lanigan must confront the FBI, as well as the family and history he deserted. Bateman, known for his Emmy-winning work on “Ozark,” has directed films such as “Bad Words” and “The Family Fang” in the past, while currently starring in Netflix’s “Black Rabbit.”