The USA network is taking creative liberties with its upcoming adaptation ofThe Rainmaker, and one original character will surely benefit from the changes. TheJohn Grisham novelof the same name was previously adapted into a 1997 film starring Matt Damon as Rudy Baylor, the leading role that Milo Callaghan will take up in the 2025 series. The basic premise ofTheRainmakerfollows Rudy, fresh out of law school in Memphis, Tennessee, as he stumbles into an unglamorous job that unexpectedly leads him to try a major case. Yet, the 2025 adaptation will build on the original story.
While the series won’t premiere until August 15, the first look at 2025’sThe Rainmakerlooks promising. Many even speculate thatThe Rainmakercould usher in a new golden age for the USA network. There are many variables that may affect the adaptation’s success, but it’s possible USA could return to its“Blue Sky”programming that dominated the 2000s and early 2010s. Should the series be picked up for additional seasons,the USA network will have to get creative to extend storylines and bring in new conflicts. One departure from the source material, however, already givesThe Rainmakera leg-up.
Bruiser Was Barely Used In Matt Damon’s The Rainmaker
The Ambulance Chaser Disappeared Early On In The Story
In 1997’sThe Rainmaker, the lawyer who hires Rudy Baylor is an opportunistic yet wolfish businessman named J. Lyman Stone (Mickey Rourke), known by many simply as“Bruiser.”The nickname aptly reflects the ruthlessness of Rudy’s unconventional boss, who has his associates earn their pay by bringing in high-profile cases. Alongside Deck Shifflet (played by Danny DeVito in the 1997 film), Bruiser encourages Rudy to become an ambulance chaser— a disparaging term used to describe lawyers who target victims of accidents while they’re vulnerable. Despite his lasting impact on Rudy,Bruiser abruptly flees the country early on in the film.
2025’sThe Rainmakerwill be available to stream on Peacock after its initial airing on the USA network.
The adaptationdirected by Francis Ford Coppolawasn’t an exact recreation of the novel, but Bruiser’s role felt especially short. After he briefly mentions he may be missing their day in court, Bruiser suddenly disappears to a tropical island and only interacts once with Deck via a phone call during the film’s final act. While the departure made sense within the overarching narrative, it was still jarring for Rudy and Deck’s boss to leave so soon and so definitively, leaving the fresh graduate to spontaneously open his own firm alongside his colleague who had never even passed the bar exam.
USA’s The Rainmaker Is Seemingly Making Its Bruiser More Prominent
The Trailer Shows Bruiser Take An Active Role In Her Cases
Based onThe Rainmaker’s season 1 trailer, there are a few major changes to the familiar storyline and the main characters— especially Bruiser. Now Jocelyn Stone (Lana Parrilla),Bruiser immediately seems more nuanced than her 1997 predecessor. There are multiple important moments that can be gleaned from the short trailer— Bruiser speaks to Rudy’s mother about his potential, seems to genuinely care about their clients, and appears in court alongside her new associate (something Rourke’s iteration never did).
Thetelevision adaptation ofThe Rainmakerhas also subtly indicated Bruiser’s dislike of Leo F. Drummond (John Slattery), the central antagonist of both the novel and 1997 film. Furthermore, Rudy and Deck (P.J. Byrne) are seen filling Bruiser in on new information, whereas Rourke’s Bruiser was notably distanced from the associates’ work. Whether or not Bruiser is still a cutthroat, money-hungry shark remains to be seen, but the USA network’s adaptation is poised to give her a bigger role regardless.
Why Lana Parrilla Playing Bruiser In The New The Rainmaker Is Exciting
Parrilla’s Most Memorable Role Was A Sympathetic Villain
The actual plot adjustments will surely be interesting, butThe Rainmaker’s casting is what truly seals Bruiser’s fate as a central character. Lana Parrilla has been acting since 1999, but her most iconic role was asOnce Upon A Time’s evil queen, also known as Regina Mills. From 2011 to 2018, Parrilla portrayed multiple recognizable villains, but her aliases and past lives converged to form one character: complex, morally grey, and captivating to watch. Throughout the series,Parrilla seamlessly transforms from evil to heroic to evil to heroic ten times over, but her formidable talent sells it at each turn.
Parrilla’s range is obvious based on that title alone, but her impressive filmography only makes me more excited about her upcoming portrayal of Bruiser. Depending on which direction USA plans to take the character in, Parrilla will undoubtedly deliver a stellar performance, whether it be of a reproachable or respectable lawyer (or a lawyer that straddles the liminal space in-between). Experimenting with the moral ambiguity of the character may even make Bruiser one of the most sympathetic characters inThe Rainmaker, but Parrilla could easily make her version of the infamous ambulance chaser an iconic villain as well.
