The 1996 John Grisham adaptation A time to kill was an important milestone in Matthew McConaughey’s career (even though his role as crusade attorney Jake Brigance was eventually overshadowed by aoverseer Samuel L. Jackson). Before A time to kill, McConaughey was best known for playing Dazed and confusedis statutory skeevy Wooderson, but Joel Schumacher’s legal drama opened the door to some charismatic lawyer roles, Lincoln or otherwise, for the young star, who helped kickstart a now Oscar-winning, thoroughly successful career.
Now McConaughey is ready to rise again the role that contributed to the start of that early emergence, with Variety report that the Real detective star returns to HBO for a TV adaptation of Grisham’s third Brigance novel A time for graceJust like with A time to kill Grace (published last year) focuses on a lawsuit that is less about revealing a complicated criminal mystery, and much more about the circumstances of the victims and the ways they are perceived by the legal system. In this case, that means focusing on a young man who shot and murdered his mother’s deputy sheriff friend on the grounds that the man assaulted his mother, his teenage sister, and himself. To quote the Grisham-ese from the book’s synopsis: “As clients and friends abandon Jake, he sees his practice slip. Can he save his young client … against all odds? ” (Probably.)
No word yet on who will write or produce the series, but we have to imagine McConaughey’s presence is likely to be drive a lot interest in the project.