EXCLUSIVE: One of the most popular John Grisham novels, The Rainmaker, is headed to the small screen as a drama series from Code Black creator/executive producer Michael Seitzman and former executive producer Brett Mahoney. The project, executive produced by Grisham, has landed at CBS with a put pilot commitment. It is co-produced by ABC Studios and CBS TV Studios, where Seitzman and Mahoney are under overall deals, respectively.

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Written by Seitzman and Mahoney based on Grisham’s 1995 novel, The Rainmaker centers on a young lawyer who thinks he’s about to have it all – a six-figure salary and a beautiful fiancée – but suddenly finds all that ripped away, squaring off against the behemoth firm he dreamed of joining, in a case that could get him killed. Seitzman and Mahoney executive produce alongside Grisham.

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This has been a long-time passion project for Seitzman.

“I’ve always loved Grisham’s book,” he said. “One of the things that always struck me about it is that the story has a wonderful character for a TV show – a young lawyer right out of law school, no money, no white shoe law firm scooping him up, forced to work for a crooked lawyer named Bruiser, representing criminals one minute and chasing ambulances the next. Then he stumbles on a big case against an impossible adversary, with high stakes that are both professional and personal. That just feels like a show I want to watch.”

Code Black executive producer/showrunner Seitzman got Grisham on board for the project and teamed up with Mahoney who is a former lawyer. Mahoney had segued to development after serving as an executive producer on the first season of Seitzman’s CBS medical drama.

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The Rainmaker was previously adapted into the 1997 movie written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Claire Danes and Mickey Rourke.

Before Code Black, Seitzman created and executive produced the CBS drama series Intelligence. His feature credits include North Country. Seitzman is repped by WME.

Mahoney served as executive producer/co-showrunner on Kevin Williamson’s Fox drama The Following. He also previously worked on Williamson’s Stalker, CSI: Miami, Eli Stone and Golden Boy. Mahoney is repped by WME and John Meigs. Grisham is repped by David Gernert.