EXCLUSIVE: Nearly two decades after Matt Damon and Mickey Rourke headlined The Rainmaker, streaming platform Stan has unveiled a TV series adaptation of the iconic film.
But here’s the kicker—there’s a shocking twist that even die-hard fans, and lead actress Lana Parrilla herself, never saw coming.
Adapted from John Grisham’s best-selling novel, the series follows rookie lawyer Rudy Baylor (Milo Callaghan) as he takes on seasoned courtroom giant Leo Drummond (John Slatter) — all while juggling a complicated relationship with his law school sweetheart, Sarah.
Joined by his boss, Bruiser (Lana Parrilla), and her scruffy paralegal, Deck, Rudy stumbles upon two intertwined conspiracies linked to the suspicious death of their client’s son.
Although the core storyline remains faithful to the novel and the 1997 film, Stan’s adaptation introduces bold twists that make the tale feel fresh and unexpected.
One of the standout changes is the character of Bruiser Stone.
In the ’90s film, Mickey Rourke portrayed the infamous lawyer Bruiser, but in the Stan series, the role takes a fresh turn with Lana Parrilla stepping in as Jocelyn “Bruiser” Stone — a gender-swapped reimagining of the original character.
Matt Damon film reboot : Stan Revives The Rainmaker With a Bold Twist
In an interview, Parrilla revealed that when she was first offered the role, she had “no idea Bruiser was originally a man.
After digging into the character’s background, she realized the gender swap felt natural for the series.
She’s a total boss — rough around the edges, one of the boys — but at the same time, she’s a mentor to Rudy. Being his boss brings a maternal element to their relationship,” Parrilla explained.
Women tend to be more patient and understanding, so while her approach is tough, it’s also filled with hope — and there’s a lot of hope in her character.
A Classic Tale Gets a Modern Makeover
Parrilla shared that since she wasn’t aware Bruiser was originally a male character in the book and film, she ended up “channeling traits I didn’t even realize were there.
It wasn’t until I watched the movie that I noticed I already had some of Mickey Rourke’s mannerisms — like kicking my feet up on the desk or draping my arm over the chair. Those little things were already part of how I played her,” she said.
Parrilla cited Susan Sarandon in The Client and Matthew McConaughey in A Time to Kill as key influences on her performance.
Stepping into a legal drama was uncharted territory for her, and if anything proved toughest, it was “wrapping my head around all the legal jargon,” she admitted.
I had no idea what an ambulance chaser was, or what white-shoe law firms meant — so I had to learn fast,” Parrilla added.
I stocked up on legal books — I even grabbed a copy of Law For Dummies,” she joked with a laugh.
Parrilla expressed confidence that audiences will enjoy this “classic David-and-Goliath tale” and assured, “it just keeps getting better with every episode.
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