A true story about one groundskeeper taking on a chemical giant is finally rolling cameras. Netflix’s untitled Monsanto legal drama began production this week in Germany, and the cast just grew by six names, even as two original leads quietly stepped away.

Untitled Monsanto Film: Key Details

Detail	Info
Director	John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side)
Leads	Jonathan Bailey, Laura Dern
New Cast	LaKeith Stanfield, David Duchovny, Greg Kinnear, Julia McDermott, Melonie Diaz, Bilal Hasna
Filming Started	June 15, 2026 in Bavaria, Germany
Expected Release	Likely 2027

The Real Case Behind the Film

The movie dramatizes Johnson v. Monsanto Co., the landmark 2018 trial where school groundskeeper Dewayne “Lee” Johnson sued the chemical giant over his Roundup-linked cancer diagnosis and won a verdict that made headlines worldwide. Jonathan Bailey plays young attorney Brent Wisner, who took on the case, while Laura Dern plays Monsanto’s chief toxicologist testifying that the product was safe. It’s the kind of underdog-versus-corporation story that practically writes its own trailer.

A Cast Shuffle Before Cameras Rolled

Glen Powell and Anthony Mackie were originally set to lead the film but exited over scheduling conflicts, clearing the way for Bailey to step in. Netflix subscribers will know Bailey best as Anthony in Bridgerton, a role he’s still juggling alongside this new legal drama; if you missed how his Bridgerton storyline wrapped up, our Bridgerton Season 4 ending explainer on TechnoSports breaks it all down.