JK Rowling’s “The Casual Vacancy” — her first “grown up” novel — is set to be adapted for the small screen, in a dramatization that will take the form of a TV series to be aired by the BBC in 2014. According the BBC, Rowling was “thrilled” to hear that her novel — which focusses on the small fictional village of Pagford following the death of a prominent councilor — had been optioned, and is set to “collaborate closely” on the project. This is something that BBC One controller Danny Cohen said would be an asset: “(Her) story-telling is of course peerless in its popularity,” he said,“and I am looking forward to collaborating with her.” What may surprise some is the project’s choice of television over film — something which Rowling had strong feelings about, saying “I always felt that, if it were to be adapted, this novel was best suited to television and I think the BBC is the perfect home.” Indeed, those familiar with BBC programming will see that the novel’s story should fit comfortably; the network likes to address contemporary issues, such as the cyber-bullying and drug-abuse that permeate Rowling’s text, while a pastoral setting in the South-West of England can’t hurt either The novel had a hard time of it with the critics, and while it didn’t match the commercial avalanche of the Harry Potter novels, it did sell well, moving 375,000 copies across all formats in its first six days of publication. It’s this sheer selling power that makes this move an unsurprising one, and with the subject’s dearth of flying cars and whomping willows, the adaptation’s producers probably don’t need the special effects budget required by Harry & co.
