The Firm Enlists Juliette Lewis, Callum Keith Rennie

LOS ANGELES/TORONTO: Juliette Lewis and Callum Keith Rennie have signed on to star in the new legal-drama series The Firm, from Entertainment One and Sony Pictures Television Networks for broadcast on NBC, Global and AXN.

Lewis, an Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy-Award nominated actress, known for her roles in the films Natural Born Killers and Cape Fear, among others, and Rennie, of TV series The Killing and Californication, join previously announced cast member Josh Lucas (The Lincoln Lawyer and Sweet Home Alabama). Based on John Grisham’s 1991 best-selling novel, the TV show picks up the story of attorney Mitchell McDeere (Lucas), who emerges after ten years in hiding after having brought down a law firm that served as a front for the Chicago mob. Lewis will play Mitchell’s receptionist, while Rennie has been cast as Mitchell’s volatile older brother.

David Straiton, whose credits include House and Fringe, is set to direct the pilot episode, with production beginning in August. Helen Shaver, director of Judging Amy and Law & Order: SVU, is to produce and direct multiple episodes.

NBC is on board for a midseason launch in the U.S., while Global is the Canadian broadcast partner. A deal with AXN will bring The Firm to more than 125 territories worldwide. eOne Television has retained the TV and digital/DVD rights for the show outside of AXN markets and is handing distribution of the series worldwide, including the U.S. and Canada.