Yahoo News USA Reenters Scripted With ‘The Rainmaker’ Reboot From Jason Blum
USA Network is reentering the scripted originals space.
The NBCUniversal-owned basic cable network has handed out a straight-to-series order for a reboot of The Rainmaker, from producers Lionsgate TV and Blumhouse TV, marking its first non-shared scripted series since 2020.
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The cabler, which saw its former hits Suits and White Collar pop on Netflix, currently shares linear rights with corporate sibling Syfy to Chucky as its lone scripted series. The drama is the only scripted original to air on the network that previously ranked as the most watched cable network for a dozen years straight.
Based on the best-selling 1995 novel by John Grisham and subsequent 1997 feature film adaptation starring Matt Damon, Claire Danes, Jon Voight and Danny DeVito, The Rainmaker revolves around Rudy Baylor, a fresh out of law school attorney who 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 (Code Black, Intelligence) and Jason Richman (Stumptown, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon) co-wrote the pilot and will exec produce alongside author Grisham, David Gernert and Blumhouse’s Jason Blum.
The series is produced by Lionsgate Television and Blumhouse Television, with both companies having recently teamed up for a multiple-film deal to reimagine horror classics from the Lionsgate library. The order comes nine months after former USA Network topper Chris McCumber exited his post as president of Blumhouse TV following a three-year run.
Streaming rights for The Rainmaker have not yet been determined, as it’s unclear if USA sibling Peacock will control the episodes or if Lionsgate could shop them to a platform with a bigger subscriber base (ahem, Netflix) that could help lift the series in a way akin to Suits.
Since exiting the scripted space and losing its executive leadership team as part of an NBCUniversal restructuring that folded in oversight of the network along with the rest of the conglomerate’s cable portfolio and streamer, Peacock, USA Network has become a home for syndicated repeats, WWE programming, sports and unscripted series.
With the Netflix success of Suits and now White Collar — with spinoffs and a reboot of both, respectively, in the works — USA is hoping to reinvigorate its legal procedurals with an eye to cashing in on the interest in its former programming. Suits and White Collar were part of USA’s former “Blue Skies” programming slate that also included Royal Pains, Covert Affairs and Graceland. That brand was ditched for more dark and gritty fare following the success of Mr. Robot, which ushered in shows including Colony, Queen of the South, The Sinner and Dirty John, which USA shared with corporate sibling Bravo.
With the Suits effect, linear networks and streamers alike have doubled down on broadcast-like fare that can travel.
Seitzman is repped by WME and Paul Hastings. Richman is with CAA, Fuel Filmworks and Sloane Offer.
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