John Lee Hancock’s “Monsanto” has begun production in Los Angeles. Netflix is behind the film, which is being described as a “courtroom drama.” The cast includes Laura Dern, Jonathan Bailey, LaKeith Stanfield, Greg Kinnear, David Duchovny, and Julia McDermott.
Hancock’s film draws from the real-life case of Brent Wisner (Jonathan Bailey), an inexperienced lawyer who takes on a massive lawsuit against Monsanto on behalf of Dewayne “Lee” Johnson. Johnson claims he developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after being regularly exposed to Roundup—the company’s widely used weed and grass killer—while working as a high school groundskeeper.
Hancock is a hired-gun filmmaker, but he occasionally delivers strong work—“The Founder,” which explores the origins of McDonald’s and stars Michael Keaton, is an underrated gem from the 2010s. Hancock’s other credits include “The Rookie,” “The Blind Side,” “Saving Mr. Banks,” “The Alamo,” and “The Highwaymen.”