Actor John Slattery, best known for his roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Emmy-winning series Mad Men, has joined the cast of the upcoming USA Network series The Rainmaker. The series is based on the 1995 John Grisham novel about an idealistic young lawyer named Rudy Baylor, who is taking on a high-dollar law firm in an insurance case. Slattery’s casting was announced on Tuesday, the actor’s 62nd birthday. Deadline was the first to report the casting.
Slattery has been cast as the series’ lead antagonist, Leo F. Drummond, described as “a legendary lion of the courtroom and senior partner at Tinley Britt, the powerful firm that Rudy Baylor is up against.” The lead role of Rudy Baylor has yet to be cast. USA Network picked up the series in June, and you can check out the synopsis for the legal drama below:
“Fresh out of law school, Rudy Baylor goes head-to-head with courtroom lion Leo Drummond as well as his law school girlfriend. Rudy, along with his boss and her disheveled paralegal, uncover two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client’s son.”
Michael Seitzman will serve as the series’ writer and executive producer. He was a writer and executive producer for the series Quantico. He is the creator of the series Empire State, Intelligence, and Code Black, and also wrote the 2005 film North Country, which earned star Charlize Theron an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. The series is the result of Seitzman’s efforts to build a “Grisham Universe” of TV shows based on the author’s books. The effort first began in 2018 in partnership with Hulu, but development on the series stalled. It is not clear if USA Network will pursue any other “Grisham Universe” shows.
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Lionsgate and Blumhouse will produce the series, and Jason Richman, John Grisham, David Gernert, and Jason Blum will also serve as executive producers. The Rainmaker was previously adapted to film in 1997, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Matt Damon played Rudy Baylor and Jon Voight played Leo Drummond, with the rest of the cast comprised of Claire Danes, Mickey Rourke, Danny DeVito, Roy Scheider, Virginia Madsen and Danny Glover.
John Slattery’s Emmy-Nominated Career
John Slattery broke into acting in 1988 with a role in The Dirty Dozen TV series. In 2007, he hit stardom with his role as ad executive Roger Sterling in AMC’s hit series Mad Men. His role earned him four straight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama from 2088-2011. He also earned two Critics’ Choice Award nominations for the role. He most recently appeared in the Netflix film Unfrosted, in a cameo spoofing his Mad Men character.
Slattery portrayed Howard Stark, the father of Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, in the MCU films Iron Man 2, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, and Avengers: Endgame. He also voiced the character for a 2023 episode of What If…? His other film credits include Best Picture Oscar winner Spotlight, Flags of Our Fathers, Traffic, Charlie Wilson’s War, and The Station Agent. His television credits include Veep, 30 Rock, The Good Fight, Mrs. America, Arrested Development, Sex and the City, and Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp.
A premiere date for
The Rainmaker
has not yet been announced.