Tom Holland is set to make a highly anticipated return to Hollywood with a new adaptation of a John Grisham novel. According to Deadline, the acclaimed actor will star in and co-produce The Partner, an upcoming Universal Pictures film based on Grisham’s 1997 bestseller.
The story follows Patrick Lanigan, a former lawyer turned fugitive, who steals $90 million from his firm. After escaping to Brazil, Lanigan is ultimately captured and extradited to the United States. There, he must confront a storm of legal troubles, as well as the wife and child he abandoned years earlier, all while dealing with the fallout of a disgruntled client who triggered his capture.
The adaptation of The Partner has been in development for some time. Originally, filmmaker John Lee Hancock was attached to direct the project under New Regency’s production banner. However, after a delay, the film has now found new momentum with Universal. It will be produced by Rideback and Billy17, the latter of which was founded by Holland, his brother Harry Holland, and Will South.
The screenplay will be penned by Graham Moore, the Oscar-winning writer of The Imitation Game. While the director has yet to be announced, Moore’s involvement adds significant prestige to the project.
Grisham’s novels have a storied history of successful screen adaptations, including The Firm (1993) and A Time to Kill (1996). The Partner marks the first adaptation of the author’s work since Christmas with the Kranks in 2004, signaling a renewed interest in bringing his legal thrillers to the big screen.
As of now, there is no confirmed start date for production. Holland’s already packed schedule—including Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey, Marvel’s Spider-Man 4, and potential future Avengers films—may influence the timeline.
More details about The Partner are expected in the coming months. Universal has not yet commented on the project’s development.
