First
published in 2012,
The Casual Vacancy was Rowling’s first-ever adult-themed novel and the first since her seventh and final
Harry Potter book was published in 2007. It is now being turned into a three-part mini-series by BBC One in conjunction with HBO.
It tells the story of an idyllic English town being ripped apart during a parish council election, which is brought about by the untimely death of one of it’s members, Barry Fairbrother.
Michael Gambon (
Quirke) and Julia McKenzie (
Marple), Rufus Jones (
W1A) and Keeley Hawes (
Line of Duty), and Rory Kinnear (
Penny Dreadful) lead the cast as, respectively, Howard and Shirley Mollison, Miles and Samantha Mollison, and Barry Fairbrother.
Gambon is familiar with Rowling’s
Harry Potter fans for playing Professor Albus Dumbledore in the film series. Last year, the
Daily Telegraph claimed that Kinnear
had been approached by the BBC to replace Matt Smith as the Doctor in their flagship science-fiction drama series,
Doctor Who; which Kinnear himself denied. Hawes — who is well known for having played Zoe Reynolds in
Spooks /
MI5 and Alex Drake in the
Life on Mars sequel
Ashes to Ashes — recently won critical acclaim for her role in the second season of Joe Mercurio’s
Line of Duty. She will herself be seen in
Doctor Who later this year,
playing Ms Delphox.
Sir Michael Gambon, as Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies
Wikimedia Commons
Joining them will be Monica Dolan (
Appropriate Adult) as Tess Wall; as well as Michele Austin (
The Bill), Marie Critchley (
In the Flesh), Keeley Forsyth (
Coronation Street), Richard Glover (
The Day They Came to Suck Out Our Brains!), Simon McBurney (
Rev.) and newcomer
Abigail Lawrie.
According to
Digital Spy,
filming will commence in southwest England, on July 7. A transmission date is yet to be announced.
The Casual Vacancy has been adapted for television by Sarah Phelps (
The Crimson Field) and will be directed by Jonny Campbell (
In The Flesh).