Glen Powell lands next lead movie role
Glen Powell has landed his next lead movie role in John Lee Hancock's Monsanto.
The Top Gun: Maverick star will feature alongside Captain America's Anthony Mackie and Jurassic Park icon Laura Dern in the legal drama, which is based on the real-life court case that saw chemical company Monsanto forced to pay $21 million in damages to groundskeeper Dewayne "Lee" Johnson after he claimed an active ingredient in their Roundup product caused cancer.
Powell will play Brent Wisner, who takes on Johnson's case after he used the product as part of his job as a high school groundskeeper. Dern appears as Dr Melinda Rogers, the chief toxicologist of the Monsanto Company, who testifies that Roundup is a safe product.
Related: Glen Powell lines up new TV role
Anyone But You star Powell said he had always been "fascinated by true stories of ordinary people against extraordinary odds" when speaking about the role.
He continued in a statement: "This story encapsulates that spirit with a critical issue that affects us all. And it’s a privilege to bring it to audiences with an exceptional filmmaker and powerful cast."
Dern said she looked forward to working with Hancock again after they collaborated on A Perfect World and The Founder. She added: "There couldn’t be a more vital story to be a part of."
Saving Mr Banks and The Rookie director Hancock explained why he was attracted to the story in a statement, comparing it to a "contemporary David vs. Goliath true story".
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"I found it dramatic, moving, quite funny and of critical importance in today’s world," he said. "My ambitions are to deliver a smart, thoughtful and commercial legal drama that takes the audience on a human journey."
The film will be produced by HyperObject Industries' Adam McKay and Kevin Messick alongside Moritz Borman, Eric Kopeloff, Philip Schulz-Deyle, and Jon Levin (per Deadline).
McKay said that stories about the "little guy taking on huge institutions" seem few and far between in cinema and in real like, adding: "So, when a story as riveting and inspiring as this one shows up on our desks we get excited. Why? Because people love and need these movies.
"They always have and always will. Erin Brockovich, Silkwood, It’s a Wonderful Life, Spotlight, 12 Angry Men, Moneyball, Norma Rae… I legitimately think I can list 200 wildly successful and beloved films about real people standing up against overwhelming odds with only fairness and truth on their side. So, let’s make number 201.”
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