William Monahan (The Departed) is assigned by Paramount to adapt John Grisham’s bestselling legal thriller “The Associate” with Shia LaBeouf attached to star..

LaBeouf  is set to play a Yale Law School student with a disreputable secret that leaves him in a weak position to be blackmail. He’s manipulated into acquiring a job at a law firm and working on a multibillion-dollar lawsuit.

Monahan gladly takes on the job while he prepares for his directorial debut on his scripted adaptation of the Ken Bruen novel “London Boulevard.” The movie stars Colin Farrell and Keira Knightley. Production starts in June in London.