Latest news with #JohnSlattery
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Rainmaker Stars Reveal How the Iconic Book Came to Life
Originally appeared on E! Online Court is now in session. Nearly three decades after John Grisham's best-selling legal novel The Rainmaker first graced screens in Frances Ford Coppola's star-studded 1997 film, John Slattery and Milo Callaghan are breathing new life into the story with their USA Network courtroom drama. And that means taking a whole lot of creative liberties to stretch the story it across the 10-episode first season. 'The departures were pretty significant,' Slattery told E! News in an exclusive joint interview with Callaghan, 'and having read the book and seen the movie, you look at the scripts and the source material is only relevant to a certain degree. Then you just shoot scene by scene and hope they stack up to something interesting.' Those departures went far beyond those like Lana Parilla stepping into the role of the previously male role of 'Bruiser' Stone, the legal adversary to Slattery's Leo Drummond. In fact, the case that jumpstarts the career of new law grad Rudy Baylor (Callaghan) is transformed from the book's insurance bad faith suit to a hospital wrongful death—complete with an unnerving, slippery nurse (Dan Fogler) looming in the background. More from E! Online And Just Like That Season 3: How Finale Ended the Sex and the City Story After 27 Years Jason Kelce Gets Emotional Over Taylor Swift's Adorable Comment About Travis Kelce Travis Kelce Shares Heart-Melting Reason He Wanted to Date Taylor Swift After Eras Tour And then there's Rudy himself, whose legal course is defined by his quest to live up to the legacy of his late, aspiring lawyer brother John. 'I'm a brother, and if I lost a brother in that way, I think that would really create a chasm in my in my life that you spend the rest of your life trying to stitch up, essentially,' Callaghan explained. 'And his brother, we don't know too much about his brother at the beginning, other than he was going to be a lawyer and he was a high achiever.' Those are big shoes to fill, and for Rudy, balancing his ambition and fierce principles come at a cost, namely the brand-new job at the glossy firm run by Leo Drummond, where his girlfriend Sarah Plankmore (Madison Iseman) quickly finds herself on the rise. Ultimately, Callaghan sees Rudy's crashing and burning right off the bat as a crucial course-correction, sharing, 'I really think that when he's fired, good luck or bad luck, who knows, but it puts him on a trajectory which brings him back to himself.' In fact, it leads to Rudy facing off against Leo—and Sarah—as he attempts to hold the hospital they represent accountable after the death of a patient in its care. With that, the cast spent a lot of time immersing themselves in the 'quite rigorous legal academia,' as Callaghan put it. Crucially, however, viewers don't need three years of law school to unpack all the rapid-fire legalese—in large part thanks to Slattery's character. 'Leo's function was also to sort of explain,' the Mad Men alum noted. 'Somebody would say something, and I, as Leo, would say, 'Well, what he actually means is, you know, blah, blah, blah' to the jury and try to win them over that way. Like he's trying to be highfalutin here, but what he's really saying is to the audience as well.' Though audiences are just getting introduced to this newest iteration of Rudy Baylor and Leo Drummond, the stars are already raring to go for another courtroom showdown in a possible second season. And for them, it's an opportunity to explore the Rainmaker world outside the framework of the 1995 novel. 'I would definitely be interested,' Slattery shared, though the Spotlight alum admitted that as for what it would look like, 'I don't know what I don't know. That's a common thing where the first season is the book or source material, and then if it were to go further, you'd have to cook up a whole other scenario—which I'm sure they're more than capable of doing.' After all, Grisham has written more than 50 books—including dozens of best-selling legal thrillers—making for ample material to possibly pull from. 'Get a little Grisham universe going,' Callaghan posited. 'I'd be up for that.' The Rainmaker premieres August 15 on USA Network. For more books set to become movies and shows in the coming months, keep reading… Season 3My Oxford YearThe Thursday Murder Club Season 5Regretting YouWicked: For GoodHamnetThe HousemaidReminders of HimSeason 4The HusbandsFive-Star WeekendMidnight SunLucky For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App Solve the daily Crossword
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
How John Slattery and Milo Callaghan learned to spar (and put on an accent) in ‘The Rainmaker'
Much like a rainmaker is a person adept at bringing in new business and revenue to a company, USA is placing its bet on 'The Rainmaker,' a new drama series premiering Friday and based on John Grisham's 1995 bestselling novel, to bring viewers hungry for scripted content back to the network. Once a beacon of 'blue sky' series like the light, character-driven hit shows 'Monk,' 'Suits' and 'White Collar,' followed by darker fare like 'Mr. Robot,' over the past several years NBCUniversal, the parent company of USA, has focused primarily on unscripted programming including reality, sports and other live events. In the last five years, the network's only scripted series were the second season of 'Dirty John' (after the first season aired on sister channel Bravo) and 'Chucky,' which aired simultaneously on Syfy and USA until the series ended in 2024. Whether 'The Rainmaker,' developed by Michael Seitzman and Jason Richman with Blumhouse Television, ushers in a new era of scripted series and viewers for the network remains to be seen, but the swing they're taking is a big one with a property known in both the literary and film space. It's been 30 years since the 'Rainmaker' novel was released, becoming one of the fastest-selling books at the time — 300,000 copies were sold in its first four days of release. Adapting it for the big screen was a no-brainer; two years later, the feature film starring Matt Damon would hit theaters. For the 10-episode series, of which Grisham is an executive producer, the book's Memphis locale has been shifted to present-day Charleston, S.C., where scrappy but brilliant law school graduate Rudy Baylor (Milo Callaghan) gets sacked on his first day at prestigious firm Tinley Britt when he rubs legal legend Leo F. Drummond (John Slattery) the wrong way. Desperate for a job, he lands at a less reputable firm, J. Lyman Stone & Associates, owned by tough lawyer Jocelyn 'Bruiser' Stone (Lana Parrilla) whose one other staffer is ambulance-chasing paralegal Deck Shifflet (P.J. Byrne). But the pressure is on immediately when Bruiser asks Rudy point-blank if he has what it takes to be a rainmaker for the firm. Proving himself may come sooner than he thinks when he digs into the mysterious hospital death of a client's son that starts looking more like murder, which opens a can of nefarious worms that keeps things heated for the drama's first season. Here, newcomer Callaghan and TV veteran Slattery talk about sparring onscreen, what their characters could learn from each other and the challenges Callaghan, a British native, had speaking a South Carolina dialect — though the show was shot in Dublin, Ireland. With an adaptation like this, did you read Grisham's novel or stick with the show scripts? John Slattery: I read the book and it has a slower grow than the show, by necessity. The show has to have some more peaks to keep people's interest, whereas the book seems to be a longer curve. But I was excited as soon as I read it. I thought that it's good to be the antagonist as far as having something active to play. I thought, 'You know, if we execute this well, it'll be a really entertaining courtroom potboiler.' Milo Callaghan: We had all 10 scripts from the off, which is quite rare, so I really deep-dived the scripts, which are so tight. I felt like it sat in my chest really well. Then I watched the film, I read the book, and I think John Grisham's amazing. What was it about your characters that drew you in when you signed on? Callaghan: Fundamentally, for me, Rudy Baylor is a kid who's grieving [his brother], and then he's trying to take responsibility for himself. His heart's always in the right place, and the beauty of the interactions he has with the other characters is they all mentor him into realizing that the world's maybe not the idealistic haven that he anticipated. Sometimes he has to learn to bend and move his lines in the sand, but he has a really strong moral character. Slattery: You think Leo's one thing, and then you see a side that you didn't expect but, yeah, he's a self-described bully. And being a successful trial attorney, there's a bag of tricks that probably grows with each year, so he's probably pretty adept at using all of them or whatever he needs given the situation. Leo and Rudy don't hit it off right off the bat, something evident when Leo challenges Rudy on his first day and is subsequently fired. Why exactly did Leo do that? Slattery: The real reason he fires him is not, obviously, what he tells him, but maybe he sees a threat in the kid being that his moral code might differ from the present administration [at Tinley Britt], so maybe you get rid of those people. But Rudy's smart and I think given Leo's ego, he probably sees anyone adept as, 'You remind me of myself.' But the good thing about Leo is you can't trust anything he says, and that I find interesting. Callaghan: I would say they're more alike than you would think. They both clearly have a gift for rhetoric, and they're both bullish. My sense is that Leo has learned to curb his enthusiasm and learned that power isn't necessarily in bulldozing into a situation. And he lets Rudy slip up quite a lot. A lot of his victories are giving Rudy the opportunity to shoot himself in the foot as opposed to shooting him in the foot, and that's definitely learned behavior. But Leo's the guy that everyone wants to be. It's a classic David and Goliath situation. The young lawyers like Rudy and his girlfriend Sarah (Madison Iseman), who works at Tinley Britt, clearly have things to learn from Leo — but does he have things to learn from them? Slattery: He may not think he does, but everybody does. And Maddie's character, Sarah, lets him know it. He sees himself in her as well, and maybe he sees something that he could use to his advantage, which is her loyalty to Rudy. He's always looking to learn something, whether it's from someone or just the cracks in their armor or the information he can wheedle out of somebody. Callaghan: I was the youngest person on that set and, in the same way, Rudy is the youngest person in the business that he's in. He's got Deck and Bruiser and even Leo and all of these people who have so many years on him and so many experiences on him. While I do think he teaches them things, they will draw him into a more realistic view of the world. There's a scene in the first episode where Sarah is talking to Leo and he drops French fries on the floor for her to pick up. Are we supposed to like him in that moment? Slattery: Does he really care what anybody thinks of him, like these kids who are just starting out? I don't think he's worried about anybody else's opinion. As far as the audience goes, I'm not sure how important that is either whether you like Leo or not. Legal dramas come with a lot of scenes set in the courtroom. How was working on those together? Slattery: I bet you there isn't a lot of a long list of actors who go, 'Oh, good, I get to spend two weeks in the courtroom.' It's not conducive oftentimes, and sometimes you're like, 'Wait, wait, what episode is this and what scene?' Callaghan: John commands presence, and he's also very loose and never does it the same way twice. It's always a dance. ... Probably the biggest privilege of working with him is that it's just different every time. He could be a critic and he could tell you what he thought about what you were doing, but that first day was fantastic. He got up and we just went at each other, and it really felt like that was a big moment. Slattery: I think doing something the same way is a waste of time. I mean, why do it twice the same way? They already have that version. Having been on the other side and edited a bunch and directed a bunch, it wasn't until I did that that it really sunk in. Vets like Leo and Bruiser are used to crossing moral lines, but how will Rudy react when his morals are challenged? Callaghan: His heart is always going to be in the place, but it's a conundrum, isn't it? Even in life, morality is such a funny thing because regardless of your heart being in the right place, no one sees themselves as the bad guy except Leo Drummond, who sees himself as a bully. So with Rudy, there's always an element of: Has he lived enough years or had enough experiences to really determine what's right and wrong? Milo, how challenging was it to do the American accent? On top of the show being set in South Carolina, it was also shot entirely in Dublin, so you probably also had an Irish accent floating about. Slattery: I didn't know ... the state of show business in the United States was that you go to Dublin to double for South Carolina. That's how screwed up it is in Los Angeles. Callaghan: Any Brit doing an American accent feels a certain level of anxiety, but I drilled it and drilled it. I had a great dialect coach called Jude McSpadden who was fantastic, and she kept me on track. Then, also, P.J. Byrne (Deck) wasn't shy to look me in the eye every now and then and say, 'Why are you saying it like that?' I had a great group of people who were really hypercritical of it when the accent fell off, which wasn't often because I worked hard. Slattery: Milo was in every scene basically, and he's doing an American accent to boot, which does weird things to people. Your voice goes up an octave or you start to walk differently. It's a bit of a head trip. But he did a great job.
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Legal thriller ‘The Rainmaker' is more like a drizzle
(l-r) John Slattery as Leo Drummond and Madison Iseman as Sarah Plankmore in "The Rainmaker." Christopher Barr/USA Network Advertisement Fans of the novel or the movie will recognize the bones of the story, which are unmistakably Grisham. Idealistic law school graduate Rudy Baylor (Milo Callaghan) joins a shady but spunky outfit that specializes in ambulance chasing. The gig leads him to a noble cause, taking on the high-powered, bullying attorney Leo Drummond (John Slattery, best known as Roger Sterling on 'Mad Men') on behalf of a young man who died under medical care. Meanwhile, he comes to the rescue of a young woman (Robyn Cara) with a physically abusive husband. In the new series, the action has shifted from the grit of Memphis to the shimmer of Charleston, SC, a geographical change that seems cosmetic. But that grit is missing in other ways as well. This 'Rainmaker' feels facile and glib, in a hurry with no particular place to go. Rudy now has a girlfriend, Sarah (Madison Iseman), who works for Drummond. They take the bar exam together, and have quick sex during their lunch break. Rudy's boss, Bruiser (played with a wink by Mickey Rourke in the movie), is now a walking collection of brassy femme fatale cliches played by Lana Parrilla. (Sample line: 'I only need three things: Kentucky bourbon, a bloody steak, and a man who won't spend the night'). There's also a psycho nurse, gamely played by theater stalwart Dan Fogler, who kills people as he mutters: 'Don't worry, I'm a nurse.' Advertisement Lana Parrilla as Jocelyn "Bruiser" Stone in "Rainmaker." Jonathan Hession/USA Network In short, the new 'Rainmaker' is sexed up, sped up, and dependent on cheap sensation in place of sturdy storytelling. Nothing wrong with cheap sensation per se; it can be quite fun. But this variety feels focus-grouped to the point of emptiness, and slicker than Slattery's go-for-the-jugular attorney. There's no discernible point of view here, no authorial voice. This void comes down less to showrunner Michael Seitzman than to the realities of churning out a middle-of-the-road cable potboiler in the year 2025. Everything about this jaundiced tale of corruption and opportunism feels safe and telegraphed from a cynical distance. And so we're left with the fleeting pleasures of capable actors saddled with unfortunate dialogue. (More samples: 'I am asking you to be my boyfriend for a moment, and not a lawyer.' And, in case you didn't get the point: 'He may be your boyfriend, but right now he's not your friend'). Among those doing their best are Slattery, who weaves in and out of the action to provide a raised eyebrow or threatening bon mot; and P.J. Byrne, who brings some necessary shamelessness as Bruiser's wonderfully named paralegal Deck Shifflet. Perpetually stuffing his face with something unhealthy, dollar signs in his eyes as he gladhands hospital patients/potential clients, Byrne not only understands the assignment but seems to enjoy every moment of it. Advertisement It's good that someone does. The legal thriller is hardly dead; just last year the old master David E. Kelley breathed new life into THE RAINMAKER Starring Milo Callaghan, Madison Iseman, P.J. Byrne, John Slattery, Lana Parrilla, Dan Fogler, and Robyn Cara. On USA Aug. 15. Chris Vognar can be reached at
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
John Slattery, Jessica Henwick Among 9 Cast in Netflix Limited Series ‘Vladimir' Opposite Rachel Weiez, Leo Woodall
Netflix's limited series adaptation of the Julia May Jonas novel 'Vladimir' is rounding out its main cast. Nine new cast members have joined the series alongside previously announced leads Rachel Weisz and Leo Woodall. Variety has learned that John Slattery ('Mad Men,' 'Spotlight,' 'Nuremberg'), Jessica Henwick ('Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,' 'Silo'), and Ellen Robertson ('Mickey 17,' 'Black Mirror,' 'Too Much') have been cast as series regulars in the roles of John, Cynthia, and Sid respectively. More from Variety 'Sakamoto Days' Leads Netflix's Anime Expo Slate as Streamer Reveals Massive Global Viewership Growth Julie Bowen Thought 'Happy Gilmore 2' Would Replace Her With a 'Younger Woman': 'I Didn't Think They'd Bring Me Back at All' 'Pulse,' 'The Residence' Canceled at Netflix After One Season Each The new recurring cast members are: Kayli Carter ('The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,' 'Mrs. America,' 'Private Life') as Lila, Miriam Silverman ('Your Friends and Neighbors,' 'The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window') as Florence, Mallori Johnson ('Is God Is,' 'Steal Away') as Edwina, Matt Walsh ('Veep,' 'Ghosts,' 'Novocaine') as David, Tattiawna Jones ('Murderbot,' 'Station Eleven') as Alexis, and Louise Lambert ('Chucky,' 'Doc,' 'Ginny & Georgia') as Dawn. In addition, the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning team of Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini ('Fleishman Is in Trouble,' 'American Splendor') are set to direct three of the show's eight episodes, including the pilot. They will also be executive producers on the series. The official logline for the show states, 'As a woman's (Weisz) life unravels, she becomes obsessed with her captivating new colleague (Woodall). Full of sexy secrets, dark humor and complex characters, 'Vladimir' is about what happens when a woman goes hell-bent to turn her fantasies into reality.' Jonas is adapting her book for the screen and also serves as executive producer on the series. Weisz will executive produce in addition to starring. Sharon Horgan, Stacy Greenberg, and Kira Carstensen executive produce via Merman along Jason Winer & Jon Radler of Small Dog Picture Company, as well as Springer Berman and Pulcini. 20th Television is the studio. (Pictured from top left, left to right: John Slattery, Jessica Henwick, Ellen Robertson, Kayli Carter, Matt Walsh, Tattiawna Jones, Mallori Johnson, Louise Lambert, Miriam Silverman) Best of Variety Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
John Slattery, Jessica Henwick & Ellen Robertson Join Netflix's ‘Vladimir' As Series Regulars; Six More Aboard As Recurring
John Slattery (Mad Men), Jessica Henwick (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) and Ellen Robertson (Mickey 17) have joined Netflix's limited series Vladimir as series regulars, with Kayli Carter (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Miriam Silverman (Your Friends and Neighbors), Mallori Johnson (Is God Is), Matt Walsh (Veep), Tattiawna Jones (Murderbot), and Louise Lambert (Chucky) boarding as recurring. Slattery will play John, with Henwick as Cynthia, Robertson as Sid, Carter as Lila, Silverman as Florence, Johnson as Edwina, Walsh as David, Jones as Alexis, and Lambert as Dawn. As previously announced, Rachel Weisz will star in and exec produce the series, based on Julia May Jonas's novel, with Leo Woodall playing the title role. More from Deadline FX Greenlights Comedy Pilot From 'Reno 911' Team; Robert Ben Garant, Cathy Shim, & WWE's Becky Lynch Cast Among 7 Chris Witaske, Christine Horn & Sophia Reid-Gantzert Join Netflix Comedy Series 'Free Bert' Nikki Rodriguez's Jackie Howard Returns To Silver Falls In 'My Life With The Walter Boys' Season 2 Teaser Trailer As a woman's life unravels in this eight-episode series — created, written and exec produced by Jonas — she becomes obsessed with her captivating new colleague. Full of sexy secrets, dark humor and complex characters, Vladimir is about what happens when a woman goes hell-bent to turn her fantasies into reality. Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (Fleishman Is in Trouble, American Splendor) will direct three episodes, including the pilot, and exec produce alongside Weisz, Sharon Horgan, Stacy Greenberg and Kira Carstensen for Merman (Bad Sisters, Divorce) and Jason Winer & Jon Radler for Small Dog Picture Company. 20th Television is the studio. A four-time Emmy nominee known for turns in projects like Mad Men and Spotlight, Slattery will next be seen in the historical thriller Nuremberg opposite Rami Malek, Russell Crowe and Michael Shannon, as well as USA's The Rainmaker and a new film from David Wain to which the filmmaker alluded recently on our Comedy Means Business podcast. He is represented by Gersh and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Henwick is a BAFTA nominee who can currently be seen on Apple's Silo. Past credits include Game of Thrones, Marvel's Iron Fist, Sofia Coppola's On the Rocks, and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, to name a few. Upcoming, she'll be seen in A24/StudioCanal's thriller Huntington from Emily the Criminal's John Patton Ford. She is repped by CAA and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Seen in Bong Joon Ho's Mickey 17, as well as shows like Black Mirror and Breeders, Robertson is repped by WME, United Agents, Linden Entertainment, and Jackoway Austen. Carter and Silverman are repped by Paradigm and Untitled Entertainment. Johnson is repped by WME and Brillstein Entertainment Partners; Walsh by UTA, Artists First, and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis; Jones by Edna Talent Management; and Lambert by Creative Drive Artists. Best of Deadline 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More Men of Steel: Every Actor Who Has Played Superman - Photo Gallery 'Michael' Cast: Who's Who In The Michael Jackson Biopic
