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A newly announced group including Jonathan Bailey, Laura Dern, and LaKeith Stanfield and David Duchovny will star in Netflix’s upcoming legal drama film, which is currently in the works. Untitled John Lee Hancock Monsanto Film. Filming on the Dalit story has officially started in Germany. Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming legal drama on Netflix.
former title monsantoThe Untitled John Lee Hancock Monsanto Film is an upcoming Netflix Original legal drama directed and co-written by John Lee Hancock (weak side)Based on a real-life historical legal case between Chemical giant Monsanto and groundskeeper Dwayne “Lee” Johnson. Hancock is joined by writers Ned Benson, Alexandra Duparc and Michael Wisner. Netflix acquired the rights A whopping $34 million deal was made for the film.
The film’s producers include Moritz Bormann, Eric Kopeloff, John Levin, and Philip Schultz-Daley, along with Adam McKay and Kevin Messick of HyperObject Industries. Carl Spoerri serves as an executive producer. Zurich Avenue has joined as a studio partner with Munich-based Krautpack Entertainment producing from the German side, and Oanda Entertainment as the American co-production partner.
what is the plot of untitled monsanto film?
Here’s the best-sourced summary so far:
The film tells the true story of young, untrained lawyer Brent Wisner (Bailey), who takes on an impossible case against the giant American chemical company Monsanto on behalf of Dwayne “Lee” Johnson, who used Monsanto’s best-known product Roundup, a hugely economically successful weed and grass pesticide killer, as part of his job as a high school groundskeeper. During the trial, Dr. Melinda Rogers (Dern), chief toxicologist for the Monsanto Company, testified with certainty that Roundup is safe.
The real life case behind the film:
The film is based in depth on the legal battle initiated by the trial team of Johnson & Wisner Baum LLP in 2018. In a landmark verdict, a San Francisco jury found Monsanto liable for failing to warn Johnson about cancer risks associated with Roundup and awarded him $289.2 million in damages.
The trial led to intense public scrutiny of the “Monsanto Papers” – thousands of pages of internal company records obtained through discovery that revealed ghost-written studies, regulatory manipulation, and attacks on independent scientists.
real life Brent Wisner Shared his thoughts on the recent film adaptation:
The courts are one of the few places where a person can humble the most powerful, most controlling organizations in the world. This film highlights what can happen when ordinary people demand accountability and are given the opportunity to present their case in front of a jury… Dwayne Johnson’s case showed that an individual can stand up to a global corporation and be heard. We are honored that his story and this important chapter in legal history will now reach audiences around the world.
Who are the cast members?
(Note: Glen Powell and Anthony Mackie were originally attached to star as Brent Wisner and Dwayne Johnson, respectively, but both left the project before production due to scheduling conflicts).
jonathan bailey Plays the role of Brent Wisner. Stepping into Powell’s shoes, Bailey is currently one of the most in-demand actors in the industry. He is best known among Netflix subscribers for his fan-favorite role of Anthony Bridgerton bridgerton. He has also received widespread praise for becoming an Emmy winner fellow passengers And stars in Universal’s two-part Wicked Film adaptation.
Laura Dern The role of Dr. Melinda Rogers. The actress is no stranger to Netflix, having starred in films like marriage storyFor which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. He also acted in romantic dramas lonely planet and will star in Noah Baumbach’s next Netflix film, Jay Kelly.
Dern previously shared her thoughts on joining:
“I’ve loved my collaboration with John Lee and look forward to working with him again. There couldn’t be a more important story to be a part of.”
New Cast Additions:
By June 2026, John Lee Hancock has The cast was eliminated with six major additional members.. While character details are officially being kept under wraps, it seems highly likely that one of these actors (likely Stanfield) will step into the role of Dwayne “Lee” Johnson following Anthony Mackie’s departure. Newly announced artists include:
- lakeith stanfield (roofer, Judas and the Black Messiah)
- David Duchovny (x files, see you when I see you)
- Greg Kinnear (Margo has money problems)
- Julia McDermott (99ers)
- melony diaz (roofer)
- bilal hasna (Agency)
What is the production status?
Development
filming scheduled
filming going on
post production
After a period of quiet development and cast shuffling, production began untitled monsanto film Officially underway!
The cameras are officially turned on 15 June 2026And filming is set to go on 15 August 2026. Director John Lee Hancock is shooting this courtroom drama on location bavaria, germany.
The move abroad was supported by the regional film fund FFF Bayern, which supported the international co-production with 500,000 euros ($589,000). The FFF Film Commission is assisting the crew with their locations. Academy Award-nominated cinematographer John Schwartzman (Seabiscuit,Jurassic World) serves as director of photography nancy vale On board as the executive in charge of post production.
When is the movie coming to Netflix?
Netflix has not yet announced an official release date for the project. Given that filming will be completed in August 2026, the film will likely remain in post-production for the rest of the year.
Because of this, we hope that we will wait until sometime in 2027 for the release of untitled monsanto film On Netflix.
Are you looking forward to watching this legal drama on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
