John Slattery Explains the Differences Between The Rainmaker Series, Movie & Novel
The Rainmaker premieres on USA Network on August 15.
A decade after Mad Men concluded, actor John Slattery is set to embody another powerful executive: Leo Drummond, senior partner at the powerful and morally bankrupt Tinley Britt. He's a key antagonist in The Rainmaker, a new USA Network series based on the 1995 John Grisham novel of the same name. This isn't the first time the book has been adapted to the screen; the feature film The Rainmaker, starring Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Claire Danes, and Mickey Rourke, premiered in 1997.
John Slattery vs. Jon Voight
Drummond was portrayed by Jon Voight in the '97 film adaptation, and when Slattery appeared on TODAY just days before The Rainmaker premieres on USA, the hosts asked him about stepping into Voight's shoes.
"The part is different, the scripts are different, all 10 scripts were delivered before we started, so thankfully, I don’t have to try and imitate the great Jon Voight," Slattery explained. "It’s just a different character. You just kind of do each scene as written and hope they stack up to some good television."
Indeed, USA's The Rainmaker is set to be a non-stop thrill ride with twists and turns around every corner, featuring a larger-than-life cast of familiar favorites and fresh faces. Joining Slattery are Milo Callaghan (Rudy Baylor), Lana Parrilla (Jocelyn “Bruiser” Stone), P.J. Byrne (Deck Shifflet), Dan Fogler (Melvin Pitcher), Madison Iseman (Sarah Plankmore), and Robyn Cara (Kelly Riker)
The Rainmaker book vs. series
The book, Slattery went on to say, “is quite episodic in nature.”
“It lends itself well to 10 episodes,” he continued. “Michael Seitzman, the showrunner and writer of the show, made some changes... There are characters who are not prominent in the book who are in the show, and it’s tailored to leave you with a little cliffhanger after each episode."
With The Rainmaker premiering on USA on August 15, audiences will be reintroduced to Grisham's classic "David-and-Goliath" underdog story on a new level. With 10 episodes of action at its disposal, there are plenty of conspiracies, lies, and murders to come.
Fresh out of law school, Rudy Baylor (Callaghan) goes head-to-head with courtroom lion Leo Drummond (Slattery) as well as his law school girlfriend (Iseman). Rudy, along with his boss (Parrilla) and her disheveled paralegal (Byrne), uncover two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client’s son.
The Rainmaker premieres on USA Network on August 15, 2025, at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
