NBCU Finally Pours Water on USA Network -- Series Reboot of John Grisham's 'The Rainmaker' Is Linear Network's First Unshared Scripted Original Since 2000

NBCUniversal has ordered a series reboot of 1995 John Grisham bestseller The Rainmaker from Lionsgate Television and Blumhouse Television.

And here's the really interesting part: This rather high-profile series adaptation is being targeted, at least for now, exclusively for the linear USA Network, which hasn't had a original scripted series order sent its way since 2020.

USA Network in recent years has largely become a destination for WWE programming, reality shows and syndicated repeats, with NBCU consolidating the executive leadership of its individual cable networks and Peacock.

However, USA Network's reputation as an incubator for hit legal dramas has been bolstered of late by the big rerun streaming performances on Netflix recently of off-USA shows Suits and White Collar.

The novel follows a young lawyer, fresh out of law school, who stands up to a big insurance company in court. Filmmaker Frances Ford Coppola adapted The Rainmaker into a Golden Globe-nominated feature film in 1997 (Jon Voight was nominated for best supporting actor), with Matt Damon, Claire Danes and Danny DeVito also starring in the picture.

The pilot for the series was co-written by Michael Seitzman (Code Black, Intelligence) and Jason Richman (Stumptown, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon), who will both executive produce alongside author Grisham, David Gernert and Blumhouse’s Jason Blum.

An NBCU spokesperson told us that streaming rights for the show haven't yet been determined -- The Rainmaker could also appear on Peacock, or be shopped to other streaming platforms by Lionsgate.