A series based on John Grisham's mega-bestseller The Firm is happening. The only question is which network will end up broadcasting it. With huge international agreements already in place and interest from at least one of the big four networks, the Lucas Reiter adaptation will start principal photography in Canada in early July with the support of the novel's author.
John Grisham is reportedly working very closely with the production and will receive an executive producer credit on the show, but it's unclear how much of a hand he actually had in the story's conception. It's set to pick up ten years after Tom Cruise's character in the movie, hotshot lawyer Mitch McDeere, took down the mob-fronted lawfirm. In this incarnation of The Firm, he'll leave the witness protection program, only to find many of the mob enemies he took down still have a lingering influence on the street. He wants to rebuild his practice and start over with his family, but it's not quite as easy as just opening an office.
According to Deadline, NBC is in negotiations for rights to air The Firm, but at press time, there still hasn't been any official confirmation from either the Peacock Network or EOne, SPT and Paramount who are all co-producing together. Expect the deal to be done sooner rather than later.
With a first season of twenty-two episodes and open-ended possibilities to continue, The Firm should have a very bright future across a litany of networks. More than one hundred and twenty-five territories will see it on Sony's AXN Networks and once NBC officially writes a check, the show should have a very public platform to attract A-list talent for the leads.
