Stars of Top Gun: Maverick and the Marvel Cinematic Universe join a new legal movie from the director of The Blind Side. Stars like Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon and George Clooney have bolstered their resumes by taking on roles in hard-hitting legal dramas, often portraying characters who crusade on behalf of powerless people wronged by the system. The legal drama has fallen on hard times in recent years, however, as the mid-budget movie aimed at adults has become an endangered species in Hollywood.
A newly-revealed project will try to buck this negative legal drama trend, however, as producer Adam McKay and director John Lee Hancock tackle Monsanto, a based-on-fact drama set to star Glen Powell, Anthony Mackie and Laura Dern. Powell plays a young attorney who takes on a giant chemical company on behalf of Mackie’s character, a man who was sickened by using the company’s pesticide. Dern plays the company’s chief toxicologist (via THR). Producer McKay said in a statement:
Big-screen legal dramas may not be as popular as they were back in the 1990s and 2000s, when films like A Few Good Men, The Firm, A Time to Kill and Erin Brockovich garnered critical praise while drawing in big audiences. In recent years, young stars looking to build their box office appeal have turned to big franchise films, and have shied away from headlining the kinds of dramas that stars like Cruise, Roberts, McConaughey and others would tackle in previous decades, seeking to boost their bankability while generating awards season buzz.
By taking on the lead role in Monsanto, Top Gun: Maverick star Powell will attempt something of a throwback move, as he looks to build on the success of his romantic-comedy Anyone But You. Starring in a legal drama is, indeed, the sort of move his Maverick co-star Cruise pulled off in the early ‘90s when he showed off his leading man chops in both A Few Good Men and The Firm. It will be fascinating to see if Powell can open a movie like this, and if awards buzz will ensue.
Source: THR