The John Katzenbach novel Just Cause has a long history attached to it. It was originally adapted into a feature film in 1995, featuring Sean Connery, Laurence Fishburne, and Kate Capshaw, among other popular actors at the time. A ten-year-old Scarlett Johansson made an appearance in the film in her second-ever film role. Now, as an adult, she’s set to return to the world of Just Cause in an upcoming Prime Video miniseries. The news comes to us via Deadline, and for thriller fans and ScarJo fans alike, there’s plenty to be excited about.

Headed by Christy Hall, whose prior work includes the Netflix original I Am Not Okay With This, the series will feature Scarlett Johansson taking up the lead role. Just Cause will mark her first proper small-screen debut outside a handful of small roles, including voice acting for Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken and a handful of live-television appearances.

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This is everything we know about Just Cause.

Just Cause: The Plot

     Ballantine Books

We can reasonably expect the adaptation of Just Cause to follow the same story as the novel, albeit with some minor alterations. According to Deadline’s report, we have a brief plot synopsis available:

In the original 1995 film, Sean Connery played Paul Armstrong, the equivalent of Matt Cowart from the novel. Armstrong was a college professor and a former lawyer instead of a struggling reporter. It could be that Johansson’s Cowart was made into a reporter to better represent a contemporary audience that intimately understands the struggle she’s going through, all while adding another degree of tension to the story. Or, it could signify that they’ll attempt to faithfully adapt the story for the small screen.

“In the TV adaptation, the book’s male protagonist, Miami newspaper editorial writer Matt Cowart, is undergoing a gender swap, with Johansson playing the series’ female lead Madison ‘Madi’ Cowart, a struggling reporter for a Florida newspaper sent to cover the final days of an inmate on death row.”

Seeing as how the series retains the book’s original character names to a degree, we can reasonably expect that the series will more closely stick to the novel than the Just Cause film. Having more time in a series will also allow for a deeper dive into its characters, developing a more thoroughly engaging story while avoiding the pitfalls of the original film.

Critics of the original Just Cause film noted that, while the film was a decent enough thriller, there was a significant shift halfway through the film’s runtime: what was originally a compelling drama and character analysis in the first half turned into a tense manhunt in the second half. Having more time to gradually escalate to an equivalent of the film’s climax would make for a more even pacing and appropriate twists as the series continues, akin to something like FX’s Fargo.

Just Cause: The Cast & Crew

     A24

As stated before, Scarlett Johansson will be playing the lead role of Madison “Madi” Cowart. Johansson has had an incredible track record on the silver screen, becoming one of the most beloved actors in recent years. Most will recognize her from her role as Black Widow in the MCU, but her other work includes award-winning films like Jojo Rabbit, Under the Skin, and Marriage Story.

Just Cause is a big deal. As Scarlett Johansson’s television-streaming debut, it’ll likely make or break further interest in the medium for the actor and future collaborators. While Scarlett Johansson is currently working on a streaming project for Apple TV, the world of television is fundamentally different from that of a movie. It’s one thing to give an excellent performance for 90 minutes. To do so consistently for 320 minutes across eight or so episodes is a whole other beast. Luckily, based on her past performances and overall talent, most are genuinely excited about what she can bring to the table.

Warner Bros. TV has had a lengthy and successful history, producing television content from as far back as 1955. The studio produced classic programs like the original Wonder Woman series, The Dukes of Hazard, and modern hits like Westworld and Doom Patrol. The Just Cause series will mark another collaboration between Warner Bros. Discovery and Prime Video, coinciding with a plan to release animated DC projects on the streaming service.

Release Date

As of writing, there is currently no release date for Just Cause. We can expect the series to release sometime in 2023 or 2024.