Movies News

William Monahan to adapt John Grisham's ‘The Associate’

By Patrick Luce Feb 17, 2009, 12:34 GMT

Paramount has hired William Monahan (“The Departed") to adapt John Grisham's thriller "The Associate" for the big screen. The film is set to star Shia LaBeouf.

Variety reports the movie will be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Paramount picked up the screen right last year. The novel was published in January by Random House, and reportedly Di Bonaventura and LaBeouf became interested in turning the story into a movie after reading it on the set of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

For the film, LaBeouf will take on the role of a Yale Law School student with a secret that leaves him open to blackmail. He is forced to take a job at a law firm working on a huge lawsuit.

Monahan (who broke big with his adaptation of the Asian movie "Infernal Affairs" for Martin Scorsese’s "The Departed") is scheduled to make his directorial debut with his adaptation of Ken Bruen’s novel "London Boulevard." The film was financed by GK Films and will star Colin Farrell and Keira Knightley. It is scheduled to start shooting this June in London.

He just finished writing chores on Martin Campbell’s drama "Edge of Darkness" with Mel Gibson.