J. K. Rowling, known as the author of the Harry Potter tomes, has ventured away from those books and one of those newer works is on track to become a miniseries. THE CASUAL VACANCY, published in 2012, is slated to become a three-hour miniseries being prod
uced by the BBC. HBO has just signed on as a co-producer, as it has done on a number of productions in joint with British Broadcasting.
For those unfamiliar with Rowling’s first foray with an adult novel here is a plot description we found from Amazon (just one of the many places you can purchase the book, if you fancy.)
When Barry Fairbrother dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…. Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the town’s council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations? Blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults.
The miniseries is definitely a go with the following British crew on task: writer Sarah Phelps (EastEnders); producer Ruth Kenley-Letts (The Hour) and director Jonny Campbell (In the Flesh.) Rowling’s own production company is also involved. Just like the joint production PARADE’S END you can probably expect the work, when it is ready, to premiere across the pond at a different time from when we in the States would get to see it on HBO.
Good, or at least interesting, things always seem to come out of that BBC-HBO relationship. Give the book a read if you want to get ahead of the series.
