Jason Bateman in Talks to Direct ‘The Partner’

Jason Bateman on to Direct Tom Holland in Legal Thriller ‘The Partner’

The movie, which has Graham Moore writing, is the newest adaptation of the John Grisham tome, which will follow a young lawyer who fakes his own death.

(Left) Presenter, Jason Bateman arrives for the live ABC Telecast of The 87th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 22, 2015. Credit/Provider: Jordan Murph / ©A.M.P.A.S.
Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S. (Right) 'The Partner' book cover. Photo: Amazon.

Preview:

Jason Bateman is making a deal to direct ‘The Partner.’
Tom Holland is aboard to star in the movie and produce.
It’ll adapt the John Grisham legal thriller novel.

If it pleases the court, we’d direct the jury (er, readers) to cast their mind back to January of this year, when evidence emerged that Tom Holland had agreed to star in and produce a new movie adaptation of John Grisham tome ‘The Partner’ for Universal.

The Partner

Not Yet RatedDrama

Starring: Tom Holland

The case for making the film has moved on to the point of hiring a director, and Deadline brings word that Jason Bateman is the man taking the job, which would mark his third movie directing gig (not forgetting his numerous TV credits).

What’s the story of ‘The Partner’?

Tom Holland arrives on the red carpet of The 90th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, March 4, 2018. Credit/Provider: Paul Hebert / A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: A.M.P.A.S.

The plot follows Patrick Lanigan, a young partner in a white shoe Biloxi law firm who fakes his own death in a burning car. He’s left behind a wife, newborn daughter, and a secret. What he’s actually done is fake his death to create a template for a new life by stealing $90 million from a client of his crooked law firm.

He finds happiness and love in South America. When the client who worked so hard to defraud the government finds the money is missing from his offshore accounts, he becomes determined to hunt down the lawyer he doesn’t believe is dead.

That leads the attorney to have to turn himself in to the FBI and face up to the wife, child and life he left behind…

The role of Lanigan offers Holland the chance to play another conflicted, morally questionable character, and enjoy some of the complexity he found in the likes of ‘The Crowded Room’ and ‘Cherry.’

Graham Moore, whose credits include films such as 2014’s ‘The Imitation Game,’ and 2022 crime thriller ‘The Outfit’ (which he also directed), has been at work on the script.

What else is Jason Bateman working on?

Jason Bateman attends Netflix’s 'Black Rabbit' NY Premiere and After Party at SVA Theater on September 16, 2025 in New York City. Photo by Jason Mendez/Getty Images for Netflix.

Bateman is currently on screens in new Netflix series ‘Black Rabbit’ and was most recently seen in another Netflix production, airport thriller ‘Carry-On’.

Coming up, he’ll be reprising the role of wisecracking fox Nick Wilde in Disney’s animated ‘Zootopia 2’ (due in theaters on November 26) and is a star and producer on HBO series ‘DTF St. Louis’.